Beyond the Indigo Veil
by Lady Librarian
Summary: The War in Ingary may have stopped, for the moment, but an ancient peril emerges from the Dark. Join the cast of Howl's Moving Castle as they go beyond the promise of “happily ever after” in Part I of the Wallmaker Saga.
1. Chapter 1: Mirror

This is the first fan fiction I've ever shared with anyone. I'm a bit shy about what I write. Please forgive the mistakes.

I'm mixing aspects from both Miyazaki's movie and Diana Wynne Jones' novel. However, this story takes place in the aftermath of both. Be forewarned that I have taken some liberties. A few preliminary notes. The ring Howl gave to Sophie that dissappeared in the movie still exists. Sophie has two sister: (1) Lettie is a blond who works in a bakery, (2) Martha is an herbalist apprenticed to Mrs. Fairfax. I promise I've tried my best to stay true to the characters, but if you see them acting differently perhaps it's because they've grown in light of their circumstances. I do try to strive to balance both happy and sad elements in what I write. Equally, I'd love some feedback, good and bad!

**Update: 3/31/06**

I've broken up some of the longer chapter in this story, although there are new chapters the content is mostly the same. I'd like to take a moment to thank my beta reader SkItZoFrEaK! She has been instrumental in the new updated and reworked version of this first part in the Wallmaker Saga.

Thank you for reading!

* * *

**Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga**

**Chapter 1: Mirror's Reflection**

The rose was quite beautiful, barely a blossom. White as a first snow, its velvety petals had just opened in the crisp early morning. The dew fell from its leaves as Sophie gently trailed her fingers over the bloom.

"Blue…" She whispered, "Be blue, like his eyes."

A gust of wind trailed past the silver haired woman, causing the flower to tremble as a hint of cerulean crept into the petal tips. Brown eyes stared, wide in consternation, as the rose became the exact shade of Wizard Howl's eyes.

It was magic. Her magic.

"Be white! Oh, please be white!" Sophie murmured anxiously.

The rose faded back to its original color, then wilted and turned brown in response to her blazing terror. Sitting back on her heels, the young woman almost began to cry as she gazed upon the ruined bloom. Sophie's anxiousness swallowed the tears as she straightened. Another gust of wind plucked at her long skirt and apron as a mist of clouds enveloped the courtyard of the flying castle.

The castle, Howl's Moving Castle, had long since taken to the air. It was much easier to see the world from on high, Howl had grinned with a capricious laugh. Not long after their curses had been lifted, Howl got a wild hair and suggested that they go on a vacation by way of the sky. Calcifer, who had long been confined to the kitchen fireplace, was all for the idea. The former shooting star retained the wanderlust of his earlier years and steered the flying castle completely by whim.

With the fire daemon at the helm, Howl had plenty of time to pursue his inventions, his magic, and make improvements to the castle. Although it had sprouted wings, the great junk heap still looked ready to fall apart at any moment. Off of the kitchen, the raven haired wizard had built the small garden. The green lawn, cozily encircled by a stone banister, was flanked by fruit trees and trimmed with flowers of all kinds, especially roses. Howl loved roses.

Howl…

In the months that followed the War, Sophie had spent her time filling their castle with love: every tender moment, every smile and every touch was like a new stitch in the patchwork quilt that was their new life. In many ways the wizard Howl had not changed since she had returned his heart: a child's heart. But in other ways he had grown surer of himself, more content and less artificial. It was the little things that Sophie noticed: Howl still spent two hours in the bath, but no longer emerged smelling like a perfume shop and sparkling with glamour magic. He dressed simply now, with fewer jewels and spangles. Howl had always been quick to smile, but now he glowed all the time.

It all seemed a dream and she was terrified she might wake up.

Dreams…

It had all started with dreams. It was like the dark place the front door opened upon when the knob was turned to the black mark. When she had gone to find Howl during the War, the shadowed place had been melancholy and troubling. But it was not the cold place full of terror she now saw in her dreams. Sophie realized that she had carried something back to the mortal world when she and Heen followed a path of tears to save Howl.

It was almost as though she had been marked by magic when the curse had left her hair silver. A seed of magic had somehow lodged within her heart and was growing. That budding magic gave her a feyness she had never before felt, and it was warning her that something was coming. After being plain and normal for so long, the thought of having such abilities terrified her.

A crash of thunder shook the brown eyed woman out of her reverie. Looking up at the darkening skies, Sophie caught a flash of lightning just as the clouds opened and began to pour down rain. With a squeal, the silver haired woman tore back into the house, a gust of wind at her heels.

"Whoa!" Calcifer yipped, rousing from sleep as the castle banked in a particularly strong wind.

When Sophie snuck past him early in the grey dawn the fire daemon had been sleeping soundly. She could always tell when Cal was asleep by his color, which flickered a pale yellow.

"Good morning, Calcifer," Sophie smiled a little more brightly than she felt. The storm had caught her off guard as well. Somehow it seemed like a bad omen.

"Where did this come from?" The little red being crackled in annoyance, tinting an unhealthy green. "Blah! I hate the rain. It's just like Howl not to warn me about the storm. The idiot's had his head in the stars all week. This is a powerful gale; I'll need to set us down somewhere. Oh, good morning by the way."

The castle listed to the side once again under a powerful gust and Sophie scrambled to grab a hold of the stone fireplace. A huge crack of lightening brightened the kitchen and a thunderous boom followed shortly. Overhead a door slammed and the quick patter of tiny feet alerted her to the fact that Markl was awake. The young apprentice tore down the stairs and threw himself into the young woman.

"Sophie!" He cried in terror. Markl was always such an even tempered little boy. As a wizard's apprentice, he had seen some things that would curl the toenails of a normal child. However, he was scared to death of the simplest things like thunder.

"Don't worry, Markl," Sophie smiled gentle as she hugged the little boy. He cowered into her arms as another flash and boom shook the kitchen, "Calcifer is bringing the castle down to the ground."

"Sophie… You're soaked!" The boy drew back and looked at his damp nightshirt. They both giggled and he squirmed as she squished him to him and let her hair drip onto his head.

"I was in the garden early this morning and the clouds crept up on me," Sophie let him go and sidled closer to Calcifer. The little flame glanced at her when she shivered and then reached for another log.

"Oh, a storm," murmured the old witch as she emerged from her room as the ragged little lap dog circled her feet restlessly.

Granny Witch took her chair beside the hearth. Heen wheezed excitedly and hopped about as another crash rattled the kitchen windows. Markl grabbed a handful of Sophie's skirts in spite of how they dripped. Even the dog cowered and hid under the old witch's chair. The former Witch of the Wastes chuckled and gazed with glazed eyes at Calcifer, "Oh, what a pretty fire. What a pretty, pretty fire."

"I've almost got us to the ground, Markl. There's no need to be fussy," Calcifer crackled in amusement.

"But won't the lightening be more liable to hit us on the ground?" The apprentice's voice trembled slightly as he looked from the fire daemon to the silver haired woman.

"You helped Howl put the lightening rods on every gable of the house, didn't you Markl?" Sophie pointed out as she mopped at hair and clothes with a towel from the kitchen.

"Yes," The boy admitted tentatively, "But what if it actually hits us?"

"We'll be fine! I'll eat the lightning with a side of eggshells. Happy?" Calcifer gritted through his sharp little teeth. The Castle gave a gentle shudder and the little red flame stretched and relaxed. "We're on the ground now."

"You might want to go and get dressed while I make breakfast, Markl," Sophie stifled a grin as the little boy realized he had torn downstairs in his nightshirt. He gave a small squawk and ran off up the stairs. In the distance, she heard his door slam.

"I'm surprised that Howl isn't awake with all the crashes, bangs, and booms going on this morning," Calcifer mused as he chewed on a smoking splinter.

Sophie suddenly sneezed explosively and the little fire daemon crept towards her with concern glowing in his small voice, "Are you warm enough, Sophie?"

"Don't catch cold, dear," the old witch murmured, consoling Heen who had jumped up into her lap.

"I'm fine," She smiled, and again it felt false. Rubbing her hands together over Calcifer, she set a kettle on and went about making breakfast. Shortly Markl came back down and quickly set the table as Sophie began flipping pancakes onto a tray. Eggs and bacon followed, although she made sure to drop a couple into the waiting mouth of the fire. Just as the kettle began to whistle, a door overhead shut and Sophie recognized Howl's brisk steps.

"Good morning, all!" The lanky man chimed brightly as he swung around the landing and glided to his place at the kitchen table. Sophie could always tell when Howl was in a good mood. Like Calcifer, he glowed in the morning light. His sapphire eyes were warm and alive, and with every brisk move he seemed to float. The 90 year old woman that still lurked inside her mind clucked her tongue at Howl's skinny frame. As a good measure, Sophie added two extra pancakes to his plate.

"Mmmm, pancakes!" The wizard began to devour his breakfast, then blinked in surprise as thunder crackled overhead, "It's raining!"

"You finally noticed, eh?" Calcifer grumbled from the fireplace, still a greenish color as he hunkered down in the ashes, "Nice of you to warn us. Sophie got soaked in the garden this morning!"

Howl's face took on a serious expression, colored with genuine surprise in spite of the fact that his mouth was full of pancakes.

"That's strange. It shouldn't be raining. I didn't see anything that would indicate a storm this direction."

Sophie sneezed again where she stood cooking at the fireplace, and all eyes turned on her.

"Don't catch cold, dear," The old witch murmured again as she dropped a bit of pancake for a waiting Heen.

"You're soaked, Sophie!" Howl pushed back from the table and stood over her, peering at her with concern. "Why didn't you use a pinch of drying powder? Here, I'll get you some."

"I'm fine!" She insisted in annoyance.

Reaching out, she caught Howl by the elbow as he turned to fetch the powder from the bathroom. Accidentally, she turned out the contents of the pan into the ash of the fireplace.

"Damn!" Sophie swore violently. All eyes in the kitchen once again turned on her. Howl blinked in surprise and frowned. Ashamed of herself, the woman dropped her hand and hid her scarlet face by looking at the floor.

"It's alright, Sophie," Calcifer chirped, picking up the ash coated pancake and munching it happily, "It still tastes good to me."

"I'm going to go change my clothes." The brown eyed woman murmured softly, pushing past Howl as she quickly retreated up the stairs to her room.

As she shut the door behind her, tears blurred her eyes, but she refused to give into them. She felt guilty for killing the flower in the garden, for letting it affect her mood, and for the outburst in the kitchen. Howl was only trying to help; she was being silly for refusing a sensible solution to her soggy clothes. The truth was that magic, even simple drying powder, terrified her at the moment. She moved to sit at the tiny dressing table next to her bed. Rain pattered steadily on the windowpane, making her feel even more melancholy.

Sophie insisted that her room be small and practical. It was barely the size of the huge bathroom that housed all of Howl's potions. The raised bed was narrow, but warm and soft. Directly over the head was a small window that angled slightly so that she could watch the stars as she fell asleep. At the foot of the bed was a wardrobe and on the floor was a rag rug Sophie had made herself. Her only vanity was the small mirror on the dressing table and a vase of flowers she replaced daily.

She glanced at her reflection in the tiny mirror and almost expected to see the wrinkles and liver spots of her former face. Instead she was confronted by the face of a stranger. Her silver hair had grown longer since the end of the War. She pulled it back into a short ponytail at the back of her neck. The smooth skin of her face was foreign to her, but what disturbed her most were the eyes that looked back at her. They were not her own, which were large and brown and fringed with black. These eyes were cold and grey, almost cruel. The face suddenly smiled evilly. Sophie shuddered as she looked at the reflection and a deep revulsion seized her.

This was not her face!

She knocked the mirror over and half stood. With trembling fingers she lifted the glass and gazed at it once more. The eyes that stared back were hers again, but her heart still hammered in her chest.

A soft tap at the door brought her out of her brooding and the latch gave a click as it opened. Gentle arms folded themselves around her, dissolving all of her melancholy just as a sunbeam filtered through the square window over her bed. But the cold knot of fear sat like a stone in her stomach.

"Sophie? Are you alright?" Howl's voice was soft and tender as he rested his chin on the crown of her head. Sophie wanted to tell him about her dreams, about killing the flower, about the dark foreboding feeling she was experiencing, but most of all she wanted to talk about magic. But she couldn't. It was like when she had tried to talk about the curse that made her an old woman. Her mouth clamped shut and her throat closed and not a word could escape her. It was like she had been cursed all over again.

"I'm fine, just in a bad mood this morning," She murmured softly, sinking backward into his arms, and then sneezed again. Howl hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry I haven't been paying much attention to you recently. I'm a silly wizard who gets too caught up in his toys," the genuine remorse in Howl's voice melted her heart. She realized that he thought that he was responsible for her bad mood. Turning, she looked up into his face smiling with all the love in her heart.

"Silly wizard! I'm not mad at you. You haven't done anything wrong. I've enjoyed watching you and Markl climb all over the roofs putting up those lightening rods. Honestly, I'm just out of sorts right now."

She watched as relief flooded into Howl's features. The raven haired man sat on the edge of her bed and beckoned a shawl from her closet with a flick of his hand. As he wrapped it around her, Sophie hid her face in her arms as she leaned on his legs. She loved this man so much it made her heart ache.

Over the months that followed the War, Sophie and Howl had begun to discover the meaning of happily ever after. But they had taken things slowly. They kept their separate rooms in spite of all their passionate kisses. They both needed time, which was something of which they had plenty.

"You obviously don't understand the meaning of vacation, dear Sophie," Howl chuckled tenderly, stroking her silver hair. "You're working much too hard when you should be relaxing."

"I enjoy my work," Sophie mumbled into her hands and Howl laughed, lifting her face to meet his melting gaze. His black hair had fallen into his eyes, and he let it hang there, peering lovingly from beneath the strands. When he looked at her like this she could not image how she had come to be loved by this man. She felt unworthy.

"You're wearing yourself out," he lightly tapped her nose then rubbed his hands together as a look of pure glee brought his features to life. "Hence I have a surprise! Today we're going out, just you and I! If you can't take a vacation on your own then I'll have to take you on one myself."

Howl spread his arms wide and another ray of sunshine filtered in from outside, catching the green jewels that hung from his ears like the points of Calcifer's fire. Again, the wizard seemed to glow and his enthusiasm was infectious. Sophie laughed genuinely, her worries forgotten.

"What? And leave the dishes undone? And the floors upswept, and…"

Howl silenced her by placing a hand on her lips, an impish look on his face. He arched his eyebrows and wagged his other finger.

"None of that! From this minute forth you are on vacation! I had Markl and Granny Witch take care of the dishes today. As for the dust bunnies, they will have to wait." Sun began streaming in from her window, filling the whole room with light. "See? Even the sun agrees with me. I insist that you cannot argue."

But Sophie tried to anyway and this time Howl leaned down and silenced her with a kiss. Tender and gentle, he stole away every possible reason she could think of for them not to go out. When Howl drew back, Sophie murmured happily, "Where are we going?"

XXX

Market Chipping spread out before them, and Sophie was delighted to see so many familiar faces. Howl had created a temporary portal to the city through the closet under the stairs, which opened up into the city out of a random door in the end of a hidden alleyway. She had put on her best outfit, a soft silk yellow dress she knew Howl loved. Sophie had even tied a yellow ribbon in her hair.

Together they visited the old hat shop, which had been rebuilt after the War by her stepmother. Honey still made a living making fancy hats for the country folk, but it was more out of habit than necessity. Sophie's stepmother had remarried into money, and she lived happily with her new husband.

It was nice to visit with family again. Over tea they chattered about Martha, her youngest sister. Apparently she was doing in very well in her apprenticeship with Mrs. Fairfax, a renowned healer and herbalist. Her sister now lived north of the wastes in Folding Valley, and rarely had time to visit. Honey absolutely adored Howl, who was a vision of gentlemanly behavior, and the two gossiped notoriously. While Howl and Honey nattered on about the mayor's daughter, the Sophie was able to spend some time talking with her mother's mustached husband. Mr. Hausa was bald and round as an egg, with eyes that disappeared into his smile. Sophie knew they would be quite happy together.

Next she and Howl visited her middle sister Lettie, who had married the son of the bakery's shopkeeper. She and the young bread maker had literally fallen in love after tripping over each other on numerous occasions in the kitchen. Lettie had proudly announced the joyful news that she had a bun in the oven not long ago, and Sophie was so happy to see how well she was doing. Howl bought some sandwiches and cakes for a picnic lunch and the two left the shop amid a shower of goodbyes and promises to return.

Sitting on the edge of the stone bridges spanning the Chipping River, Sophie and Howl ate their lunch laughing at silly stories they made up about the clouds overhead. As the sun sank well past its zenith, the couple began making their way back to the magic door.

On their way Sophie noticed a new shop she had never before seen. Tucked away in the corner of the main square was a glass storefront stuffed to the gills with antiques and oddities. She could see a series of old kettles of various sizes, gilded furniture, and stuffed animals in the front window. But mostly what caught her eye were the rows of books along one of the walls. The purple paint of the exterior was shiny new and even the triangular panes of the windows glittered invitingly. This was exactly the kind of shop that Howl would enjoy.

"Look, Howl. A curiosity shop. Doesn't that look like fun?"

"Wonderful! Let's have a look, yes?" Howl beamed brightly.

Once inside, Howl literally became glued to the wall of books, perching bird-like on top of the rolling ladder that provided access to the topmost shelves. Sophie's heart was light and full of love for Howl at that moment, and she chatted with the store's owner. The small grey woman reminded her of herself in a time not too long ago. Mrs. Goose, as the shopkeeper introduced herself, could have lived inside a shoe. Her wire-rimmed glasses and white ruffled collar made her the spitting image of a nursery rhyme. The old woman chuckled at Howl from her chair where a cat sat in her lap, pinning her in place.

Sophie began to wander about the shop when she realized Howl wasn't liable to move for quite some time. The store was indeed quite large, with a narrow aisle due to the fact that it was stuffed to the gills with odds and ends. Suits of armor stood as if waiting in line at the market along with great chairs and tables. Rugs, tapestries, and silks lined the walls in yards of soon to be dusty fabric as boxes and baskets of spangles and bangles glittered on every surface. A flash of light caught Sophie's eyes and in the back corner of the store, almost hidden by a series of huge wardrobes, she discovered a miniature maze of mirrors.

At first she was amused. The various mirrors had been arranged in overlapping sizes and frames to create a solid wall of reflections. As Sophie perused the mirrors, she began to feel strange. The space had been tiny, but now it opened up before her like a vast ocean. The cold fear that had been gnawing at Sophie that morning crept like a mist into her mind, quickly subsuming the joy that had previously erased her anxious feelings.

Turning, she was faced with a gigantic mirror that held her entire reflection. The huge rectangular glass was the exact size of a door, and even the frame seemed to suggest that the surface could swing outward at any moment. For the second time that day she realized with horror that her reflection was not her own. The figure could have been her, but it moved of its own accord and its cold eyes were grey. Reaching out it, it placed its hands on the glass surface as though it were a window. Its cruel eyes rooted Sophie in place, robbing her of movement and of her voice. Its lips moved in speech, and although nothing came out, Sophie heard it all the same in her mind.

_I found you._ The figure beat its fists against the glass in a sudden furry, its eyes locked onto her with a hungry need.

_I found you._ _I found you._ _I found you._ _I found you._

Jolted out of her paralysis by the sudden violence of the shade, Sophie brought up her arms and shrieked, "Go away!"

The glass cracked and the figure vanished.

"Sophie!" Howl was suddenly at her side and the woman realized she was once again staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was white as a sheet. Howl grabbed a hold of her and forced her to turn and look into his eyes.

"Sophie, are you alright? What happened?" The sound of his voice brought her back into herself.

"I scared myself, that's all." She managed a shaky laugh that once again sounded false. Howl looked at her with a serious face, his eyes skeptical. He hugged her to him as he stared over her shoulder at the mirror, a fey look in his eyes.

"Everything alright over here, my dears?" The old woman had hobbled over with her cane, a movement too familiar to the shaken Sophie whose nerves were already frazzled.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry for the trouble but somehow I managed to break this mirror."

"Eh? Oh, not to worry dear, that mirror's always been broken."

Sophie wilted in Howl's arms and murmured softly, "I'd like to go home now, Howl. I think I've had too much vacation."

XXX

Howl closed the closet door behind him and watched Sophie retreat to her room without a word of hello to the household. Markl was still working on the puzzle spell Howl had left for him and Granny Witch was sitting by the hearth knitting a sock and keeping Calcifer company.

"Is Sophie okay?" Calicifer asked. The little flame was tinged blue with concern as he zipped from the hearth to hover above the stair's banister, floating just high enough so as not to scorch it.

Markl frowned. "She didn't say hello."

"She's just a little under the weather today," Howl replied in a cheerful voice. "Perhaps we shouldn't have gone out."

"She's caught a cold, a nasty cold," murmured Granny Witch.

"Let's just let her have some rest, yes? I'll bring her some warm milk later."

That seemed to settle everyone down, and Howl went over to have a look at Markl's progress on the puzzle. The wizard was a bit more distracted than normal; his thoughts kept turning to a certain silver-haired someone. Sophie's behavior had become increasingly strange over the past few weeks. He had chalked it up to the fact that she was annoyed with him for not spending more time with her. But that wasn't it.

She was very jumpy as of recent and did not appear to be sleeping well. According to Calcifer, she was always up at an inhuman hour of the morning and spent a great deal of time in the garden staring at flowers. Plus, she had become increasingly stubborn about certain aspects of the housework. She flatly refused to use any magical shortcuts, almost as though she were repulsed by the idea.

And then there was the time spent between them. Howl almost felt as though he would burst into flames for the strength of his love. At times he found it hard to reign in his frustration for the slow pace at which their relationship was moving; other times it frightened him how quickly things had progressed. Howl understood how delicate Sophie could be, in spite of her fearlessness. But she kept he own council, and that was what worried him. She would never trouble any of the family with her problems. It was as though she thought that the curse was still upon her, preventing her from talking about what was bothering her.

Something was indeed bothering her, and Howl had only just received and inkling of what that was. In the shop earlier that day, she had gone white as a sheet in front of a cracked mirror. At first he thought she had mistakenly seen the reflection of her old self in the mirror and panicked. But there was more to the story. The cracked mirror in the shop had a faint aura of magic, darker magic, and it unnerved him. There was something going on; he could feel the stirrings of magic deep within the threads of the otherworld. He considered that perhaps Sophie could feel them as well.

Howl fiddled with one of his earrings as he leaned back against the wall next to Markl. He stared idly at the shadows of the hearth, watching them deepen as the sun outside began to set. Something was coming; he could feel it. Even if though they were on vacation would not change that fact.

"I'm going out," Howl announced as he shot to his feet so suddenly that he startled Markl. "I'll be back soon. I need to check on something."

Before anyone could ask, Howl had glided to the door and turned the knob to black for the first time since the War. Opening the portal to the otherworld, he disappeared into the shadows beyond.

"He'll catch a cold too," Granny Witch mumbled and Heen wheezed in sympathy.

xXx

Sophie emerged into the castle in the middle of the night. She had thrown the mirror on her dressing table out her window the moment she entered the room. The rest of the evening she had spent listening to the sounds of the house. She felt a sharp stab of guilt for not coming down to cook dinner. Although, she had heard the front door open and close shortly after having retreated to her room.

Howl.

He must have gone back out after they had returned. Another pang of guilt filled her. She had ruined their day by forcing them to return home early after the incident at the curiosity shop. She had barely spoken a word to Howl on the way home. The wizard had walked with his arm around her shoulders and she held his hand tightly, hoping that the contact would communicate to him what she seemed incapable of voicing. She was alienating him and she knew it. The cold knot in her stomach seemed to close over her heart at the thought of losing the wizard's love.

"No!" She whispered to herself emphatically. "This will stop!"

Shooting to her feet, she changed out of the yellow dress she had been wearing earlier. Clad in her usual grey, she pulled on her boots and wrapped herself in her warmest shawl. She pulled the yellow ribbon from her hair and put it on the side table. A moment later, she paused and then tied the ribbon back into her hair. Somehow it gave her strength.

Creeping out of her room, she whispered to herself, "I am completely silent. I am not here."

Had Sophie been watching herself at that moment she would have been surprised to see herself disappear. Under the influence of magic, she moved soundlessly down the closet under the stairs. She could hear Granny Witch snoring behind her curtain. Even Calcifer was asleep in the hearth, his dreams tracing shadows around his warm yellow glow.

As she had expected, Howl had not yet removed the spell from the door. Glancing at the front door, her heart froze as she saw the knob turned to the black mark. Howl had gone into the otherworld. A fey premonition told her that this was not good. Quickly, she opened the closet door and hurried out into the streets of Market Chipping.

At first she was not sure where she was going. But her feet brought her to the curiosity shop where she had earlier encountered the shade. She knew the door was locked, and looking above the shop she knew that Mrs. Goose was fast asleep with a fat cat sitting on her chest. She looked at the lock and spoke sharply, "You are not locked!"

Her heart skipped a beat at the soft click. With a trembling hand, Sophie reached out and opened the door.

Magic… Her magic.

In the daylight the shop had been inviting, a cozy clutter of odds and ends. Now the darkness gave it a sinister feeling and each step she took filled her with dread. In the back of the shop the mirror gallery sparked in the faint light from the moon outside. Sophie crept forward, her anger stealing courage from the cold fear in her stomach. Coming to stand in front of the cracked mirror, she stared at the many reflections that looked out at her from the splintered space.

"Where are you?" She whispered to the mirror and placed her hand on the surface. She was surprised to find that the crack was sharp and she cut her finger on it. Snatching back her hand, she placed her finger in her mouth, staring at the red stain on the surface.

_Here._ It replied in a voice that could have been hers. In the smaller fragments of the mirror, cold grey eyes stared out at her with pure hatred.

"What do you want?" Sophie hissed, recoiling from the intensity of the stare.

_Hate you._

"Why? What did I ever do to you?" Anger filled Sophie and she turned away from the mirror, but another reflection of herself stared back at her with cold grey eyes.

"Go away!" Sophie whispered weakly. But power in her words was not there and she felt her strength was draining away. On the other mirror the red smudge on the crack seemed to pulse.

_Hate you. Hate your world. _The reflection said again.

_But now I have you._

Icy fear turned her legs to water as a splintering sound made her turn back to the broken mirror. The smallest fragment of the mirror, out of which the eyes had stared, had fallen to the ground and shattered. Where the backing of the mirror should have shown there was only a gaping darkness that suddenly oozed forward and began pooling on the floor. Sophie choked on the rotting stench that filled the room, but horror held her rooted in place. Tendrils, much like arms, reached up towards her, clenching and unclenching obsidian claws that formed from the vile substance.

Sophie turned and ran though the shop. Behind her, she heard the mirror shatter and she could smell the evil torrent of black that was pouring out of the mirror in waves.

"Open!" Sophie screamed and the front door splintered beneath the force of her need. The silver haired woman tore out of the shop. The windows shattered as arms of black ooze shot out after her, snatching at her as she wove through the central square.

"Faster!" She told herself and she began to glide over the ground. In her mind she could hear the dark substance shrieking. Loud crashes and explosions sounded in her wake and she knew the Dark was just behind her.

_MINE! MINE!_ It called in a chorus of metallic voices that no longer belonged to her.

Like a shooting star, Sophie took a hard right and flew down the alleyway's twists and turns. She could see it, the backdoor of the café that lead to home. To Howl.

Sophie slammed against the portal and nearly passed out in pure terror as she found the door locked. Sophie saw a dark arrow of movement shoot out of the corner of her eye and in the nick of time she threw up her arm. Pure acid pain lanced through her body as the black substance closed around her wrist.

"Open!" She screamed.

GOT YOU! The metal chorus crowed triumphantly. But its glee turned to a shriek of pain as the Dark around her arm dissolved in a familiar burst of purple flame.

_Calcifer_, Sophie's mind reeled with relief and she tumbled backwards into nothing.

xXx

A silent shape glided through the midnight veil of the otherworld. Howl silently gazed at the star-strewn world below him. Unlike the mortal world, the beyond had no stars, although the glimmering lights below were as bright as the night sky. This realm was sacred. Until Sophie came into his life, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

But the lights were not stars, they were people and places. Each person came into the world with an inner light, their own piece of magic that dwelled within their soul. Sometimes things and places took on the lights of the people that once lived around them, but who had long since left the world to a place where even Wizards cannot go. The otherworld was where magic came from, fueled by the great ocean of light that lingered here once the corporal world faded. The stronger the light, the more powerful the magic.

Beyond the black knob was a world that existed between worlds. Like water gathered beneath the ground, the world of the indigo veil pooled in between the mortal realm and the mysterious beyond. Wizards were able to tap into the magic of the otherworld in the same way that a well brings up water from far below. Some sorcerers were powerful enough that they did not need anything more than the strength of their own light to create magic.

Like the surface of a pool of water, the otherworld reflected the ripples of magic used in the mortal world. It was for those rippled that Howl was searching.

In his childlike way he had hoped that the hardship of War had passed, and had even tried to ignore the tight anxious feelings he sometimes received. As a wizard he knew better: sorrow, like joy, always came in threes. The warnings had been easy to ignore until recently. He had been observing from on high for quite some time now, and suddenly he saw what he had been waiting for. The sight chilled him.

There was no sound in the otherworld, only a constant silent wind. However, change was often heralded by a slight building pressure, like the calm before the storm. It felt like a hand had closed around his heart and squeezed gently. In an area below, the gentle greens and mellow whites of an area of lights dimmed slightly, and then one by one they winked out. But suddenly, out of the consuming darkness a light so bright it could have been beacon flared into being. Howl watched in horror as the Dark turned and rippled after the fleeing light. It moved like a flood, consuming even the brightest points of illumination that fell into its wake.

Suddenly, the ring on his right hand sent a line of red light toward the fleeing beacon, which halted abruptly and wavered.

Sophie!

Howl tucked his wings and plummeted from the sky like a meteor from the heavens. His magic sparked in angry reds about him as he called up the doorway that led back into the mortal world. A rectangular outline of burning white opened before him and he shot through it a second after it came into being.

Howl flew into the Castle through the front door just as Sophie tumbled backwards onto the floor from the closet doorway. He took in the smoking black mark on the woman's arm and the wriggling tendrils of dark that were dissolving into nothing. Casting his eyes through the purple fire that guarded the doorway, Howl could see the great wall of Dark that rushed towards them.

"Calcifer, inside now!" Howl shouted. The fire daemon fled inward just as a wind of light and power lifted the wizard from the ground. His sapphire blue eyes blazed as the Dark came to a halt inches from the door.

_MINE!_ The metallic chorus howled in anguish and frustration, and then shrank from the blinding aura that consumed Howl. The closet doorway slammed shut and then splintered under the weight of the wizard's eyes, severing the portal to the village.

Granny Witch came fumbling out of her room with Heen on her heels and the old woman screamed as she caught sight of Sophie on the floor. Howl swept the limp form of the silver-haired woman into his arms.

"Calcifer, hot water!" The wizard shouted and nearly trampled Markl as he bolted up the stairs.

The door to the bathroom splintered before the raven-haired man and the hot water faucet nearly wrenched itself off as water began rushing into the tub. Casting a fearful look at the woman in his arms, he noted that she was not breathing and his face went blank.

"Markl," Howl barked and the apprentice appeared at the doorway, his face a mask of terror.

"Bring me a small mirror, a piece of bone, and a knife!"

The young boy disappeared and returned with the items just as the water in the tub spilled over the edges. Markl had never seen his master like this before, and the young boy was awed by Howl's power. The great nimbus of light pulsed around him, swirling through whites, purples, pinks, and blues. His clothing and his hair fluttered about him in the otherwind that blew from the world of magic.

"Calcifer!" The flame daemon zipped into the room and hovered over Howl's head, burning a sick green color.

Howl let go of the Sophie and she floated weightlessly in the air. Taking the knife, he gouged his finger and smeared the blood on the bone, then took hold of Sophie's burned arm. He spoke a spidery word and the bone turned to turn to silver with a flash. Touching the object to the black ooze on Sophie's wrist, it absorbed into the talisman, leaving behind only an evil looking black mark the exact shape of a hand. Howl tossed the bone into the air and Calcifer devoured it, flaring purple-white for a moment.

Snatching the bloody knife and the mirror from the air where they were suspended magically, Howl etched the glass with a series of red concentric circles and triangles. In their center he traced a strange mark that seemed to crawl with a life of its own. As Sophie lifted up in the otherwind to float over the bathtub; Howl held the mirror directly underneath her and dropped it. When the mirror hit the water, its surface turned to ice and Sophie let out a great scream in a voice not her own; the multi-toned shriek was like a metallic chorus. Her eyes flew open and Markl could see that they were completely black. The wind ceased and the silver haired woman plunged into the tub, smashing through the ice which splintered like a great mirror.

The water consumed her.

Howl reached in as the liquid turned ink black and hauled Sophie out. She coughed and sputtered, gasping for air as she cast her wide brown eyes about the room. The black water boiled and thrashed, then went still and clear. At the bottom of the tub, the splinters of the mirror could be seen. They had turned black.

Wordlessly, Howl gathered her up in his arms and carried her into his bedroom. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving an anxious apprentice, a faded old witch, and a somber green fire daemon to wait.


	2. Chapter 2: Sorrow and Joy

**Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga**

**Chapter 2: Sorrow and Joy**

All Sophie wanted to do was scream, but her voice was no longer her own. The Dark had her. She could feel it trying to consume her; the icy cold invaded her body. It felt as though she had become sand within a great time piece, and she was slowly slipping away into nothing. But she fought against the dizzy pull that threatened to drag her down into the icy nothingness beneath her feet. Suddenly a great white light exploded above her, driving back the Dark, which shrieked and cowered before it. She was drawn upward.

Her eyes were open and she was drowning. The water was all around her but strong arms reached in and pulled her into the air. She could see the ceiling and recognized it. She was in the castle. Howl's anxious face floated before her eyes and she caught sight of Calcifer, Granny Witch, and Markl. Then there was only Howl.

Sophie didn't remember much after that. She remembered the Dark and had struggled violently. But she settled and knew that Howl was with her and she was safe. A different kind of darkness came for her then, but it was only sleep.

When she woke, she was pressed again Howl's chest, his arms holding her tightly to him. She could smell the faint hint of the old perfumes he wore, hyacinth and rose. The glittering bangles and various objects in his room seemed dull and dark in the early morning light. It was almost dawn and the normally bright greens and golds of his bedroom were somehow muted. A terror seized her as she caught sight of the shadows in the room. Howl tightened his grip on her as she nearly climbed the wall.

"Sophie! Sophie, its okay. Everything is fine. You're safe," Howl's liquid voice permeated the irrational thoughts of her mind and she went limp for a moment.

Seeing the mark on her wrist where the Dark had seized hold of her filled her with paralyzing terror. Howl turned her face with his hand to stare fiercely into her eyes. All at once Howl kissed her with all the passion and love within his soul and they clung together as though the entire world were trying to tear them apart. Suddenly Sophie realized Howl was crying and it was her turn to comfort him. Sophie tried her best to soothe the raven-haired man.

"For a moment, you were gone," The wizard _murmured_.

"Silly wizard, I love you and I will never leave you," Sophie spoke with such conviction that Howl drew back and searched her face only to discover that it was true.

"And I love you, Sophie Hatter."

xXx

Some time later, Howl opened his door to find Granny Witch and Markl asleep against the wall outside. Sophie was nearly soaked by each of them as they tearfully hugged her until she couldn't breathe. Even Calcifer cried little bits of steam.

No one spoke of what happened. Granny Witch and Markl had cleaned up the splintered messes left behind in the wake of the previous night's events. They all went down stairs and ate a quick breakfast of bacon, eggs, and bread which Howl cooked. Sophie had tried to reach for the pan at first, but the wizard simply scooped her up and deposited her next to Granny Witch. Heen leaped into her lap and pinned her in place while the old witch stroked and squeezed her unmarked hand. Markl rushed around wordlessly setting the table and fetching things for Howl.

"There, all better now. Yes, much, much better," the old witch murmured as they ate their meal.

Howl placed a plate in front of Sophie and practically fed her, keeping one arm around her at all times. The entire family jumped and Calcifer flared up purple as a knock came at the front door.

"It's the King's Messenger," Calcifer spoke.

Markl jumped up and grabbed his disguise cloak, becoming a short breaded man. The young apprentice threw open the portal, snatched up the scrolled held out by the messenger, glanced around twice, and slammed the door. Howl took the message and read it quickly, then tossed it to Calcifer, who devoured it in a plume of back smoke. Not leaving Sophie's side, Howl flicked out one of his hands. A cabinet on the wall flew open and a silver lockbox flew off the shelf over to the apprentice.

"Markl, would you go up to the bathroom, put the pieces of the mirror in this box, and lock it after every last bit is inside. Be careful not to prick yourself on the shards." At the sight of his apprentice's white face, Howl smiled warmly.

"Everything is fine, Markl. It's perfectly safe. Calcifer, would you go with him?"

"Sure!" The fire daemon crackled and took off up the stairs, a wary apprentice in tow.

"Granny witch, would you clean up please? Sophie and I need to go to the palace," Howl glowed with the full power of his charm and the old witch chuckled and smiled bashfully.

"Now, dearie, no need to charm this old hen. The dishes will be waiting for you when you get home."

At this Sophie couldn't help but laugh, and suddenly all was right with the world. As the old witch stood and shuffled off, Heen scrabbled over the landing above the front stairs and wheezed three times. Once it was quiet, Howl looked up towards the bathroom and spoke, "Wizard Suliman has requested our presence."

Sophie's face must have shown what she thought of Wizard Suliman and Howl laughed.

"I may be terrified of her, I may not agree with they way she gets things done, but she's one of the most powerful sorceresses alive. She will know what to do and for that I am willing to face her."

Howl's conviction made Sophie feel much braver, but still she began to tremble as Howl stood up. She longed to cling once more to the wizard she so dearly loved, but a terrible sense of responsibility gave her the strength to stand alone and fetch her shawl.

Markl came stomping down the stairs at full tilt. He tore over to Howl with the silver box held at arms length, face white as a sheet. Once the Wizard had taken it carefully, Markl turned on his heels and tackled Sophie around the waist. She squeezed him back as hard as she could. No one needed to say anything; they were all aware of how quickly the world changed. Heen scrambled in a circle and wheezed with impatience.

"Be a good boy and finish your lessons before we get home, alright?" Sophie smiled down at him. The haired little boy hadn't the verve to speak and he simply nodded sharply. Howl came over and ruffled his apprentice's hair, giving him a series of instructions about his assignment. Taking Sophie's hand, the wizard paused to ask Calcifer to take the castle into the sky and avoid any bad weather.

Together the wizard and the hatter's daughter walked down the front steps followed by Heen, who scampered clumsily after them. Sophie reached out and turned the dial to Kingsbury, and the three of them disappeared through the door.

xXx

Sophie had never liked the castle. It made her extremely nervous, but not nearly as nervous as Wizard Suliman made her. The royal witch's cool demeanor and piercing gaze unnerved Sophie more than anything.

However, the frantic scrambling of people in Kingsbury and the terrified whispers of the common people filled Sophie's heart with courage. This was somehow her fault and instead of shrinking from her responsibility, the silver-haired woman accepted it whole-heartedly.

Hand in hand, she and Howl zipped up the long stairs she had labored so hard to surmount as a 90 year old woman. This time, Sophie made it to the top without feeling quite so old. The castle attendants folded like cards before them and they were shuffled through so many doors that even Howl had no idea where they were. At last a familiar portal loomed before them and the pair entered the palace Greenhouse. Wizard Suliman sat almost exactly as they had left her, smiling calmly in her cushioned chair beside a small table. Heen scrambled on his belly past the two and settled beneath the table. Suliman looked down at the little dog, who glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and wheezed a long sigh.

Suliman then turned her piercing gaze on Howl. He did not flinch but instead reached for Sophie's hand. Suliman's gaze then settled upon Sophie and the woman's smile faltered for a moment then resumed its place.

"You have had an excellent effect on dear Howl, Sophie. This is the first time in a very long while he has actually come so see me with prompt manners."

"It's nice to see you again, Suliman," Howl smiled charmingly with genuine affection.

"My, how you shine, dear Howl," The old witch smiled and tiled her head to the side with genuine happiness, "I'm so glad you finally found what you lost."

"I don't mean to be rude, ma'am. But you are aware of what has happened. I have no doubt that is why you summoned us here."

Howl's voice took on a serious note in spite of the handsome smile on his face. He reached into the large sleeved jacket he had worn when he and Sophie first met, pulling out the small silver lockbox.

"Indeed," Suliman held out her hand and the box flew to her. Under her gaze the key turned and the lid opened. She gazed calmly into the box, then the lid closed and locked it with a click. She sent it back to Howl's waiting hand.

"Keep those. They might be useful."

Suliman's eyes turned now to Sophie, who flinched slightly.

"You bear marks of great magic. Show me your wrist, child."

Sophie drew back her sleeve and was about to walk closer to show the Wizard, but Howl held her back.

"Don't be childish, Howl," Suliman spoke as though she was talking to a petulant child. "I have no quarrel with you any longer. You and the girl both have good hearts."

It took a moment for Howl to let go, but once he released Sophie's hand the young woman went forward timidly. Suliman seemed amused, but stared intently at the mark and then into Sophie's eyes.

"Funny how the best of intentions can cause the worst tragedies," Suliman murmured cryptically.

The royal witch ran her hand over a small crystal orb that lay in her lap, which showed a ruined and burning village a long a wide river. Sophie gasped in horror.

"The village of Market Chippinghas been abandoned," the royal Sorceress spoke evenly, "The Dark now stalks its streets."

"I did this," Sophie murmured in horror, gazing at the image in the orb, "I let it out!"

"Yes, child; you did let it out," Suliman replied coldly.

"Suliman! That's uncalled for," Howl's face showed his anger plainly. He was about to start forward when the old sorceress pinned him in place with her steel gaze.

"Don't interrupt me, Howl. Sophie did let it out, but it's not intentionally. It is simply a pity for her that she came out of the otherworld with a light is so bright that it can give even the darkest of daemons entrance to our world."

"But my family! The people!" Sophie sobbed in anguish, gazing at the fire in the orb. Suliman cleared the globe with another pass of her hand, seeing how it upset the woman so.

"Your family is safe and most of the people escaped unharmed. But the Dark is growing stronger on the fear and suffering of others. Soon it will not be bound to the streets of Market Chipping and will be free to roam anywhere it pleases."

"What is it? How did I let it out?" Sophie demanded, anger drying her tears.

"The Dark is the embodiment of hate, death, and suffering. It was made a long time ago…"

Suliman's voice faltered here, as though she was unsure of herself or how to go on. She cast her eyes at Howl, sorrow plain on her face, then began anew.

"You cannot fight with magic in this realm without there being consequences in the otherworld. Normally these things simply fade with time and lose their power. However, sometimes they linger waiting for a chance to enter the mortal realm. It has found access to this world through your magic, Sophie," Suliman replied simply.

"What?" Sophie came up short, "What do you mean my magic?"

"Don't play simple with me, _child._ We all have a light of magic within us But when you went into the otherworld in search of Howl, your love was so strong that it transformed you. It gave you the magic you would need to save the ones you love. And it is through love that your power has grown."

"What does the Dark want?" Howl spoke up suddenly holding out his hand to Sophie, who returned to his side.

"The Dark hates the light, and it will do anything in its power to destroy all that is good. More specifically, it wants Sophie. She is the portal it must use to enter this world."

Howl's arm tightened around the silver haired woman's shoulder at that revelation and Heen wheezed softly.

"How do we send it back?" Howl continued with brisk determination.

"You can do nothing, Howl," Suliman retorted cryptically, "This must be done by Sophie's hand."

"Can you help us?" Sophie asked pleadingly.

Suliman let out a deep sigh, sagging into her chair as she raised a hand to her head. Her voice was brittle as she spoke.

"I wish I could, child, but this fight is beyond me. I have my hands full dealing with the kingdom. The recent war has taxed all of us. But I will do this much: take my staff."

Suliman held out the long pole, its wood spiraling gracefully into a lazy twist toward the top. Sophie ventured forward once more and took it. For a moment it felt like fire in her hands. Suliman reached out and took hold of her wrist. A shock passed through Sophie and the sorceress snatched back her hand, shaking it as though she had been burned.

"You have great power, child. The daemon cannot stand before the strength of your light. Remember that and take courage." Suliman looked past the young woman to gaze at an anxious Howl.

"After you both get through this, of which I have no doubt, it is your responsibility to see that she is properly trained. I remind you, one day the seat in which I reside may fall open to you."

By way of an answer, Howl gave an acquiescing bow that could not be interpreted as a yes or a no. With that he and Sophie retreated from the room. The door remained open and it was Suliman's turn to gaze at Heen out the corner of her eye. The dog winced and scampered out of the room after the wizard and the newly discovered witch with a flurry of clicking claws.

xXx

On their way home, Howl picked up every fantastic and luxurious food and treat they could find. Cakes and sparkling wine created a sumptuous dinner for the family, filling the castle with of laughter. Long after the rest of the house had gone to bed, Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer sat up together discussing the Dark. They all knew that tomorrow was going to be an eventful day.

"It's a nasty daemon, far more powerful than anything I've ever seen," Calcifer crackled moodily.

"Sorrow is a powerful thing," Howl mused rather moodily.

"I don't see why it should fall on you two to fix the problems from a war caused by other people!" Calcifer crackled a bright crimson in his irritation with war and other nasty things.

"Sorrow, like joy, often comes in threes. If we ignore our responsibilities, bad things will continue to happen," Sophie murmured as she fiddled with Suliman's stick. Howl looked at her sharply out of the corner of his eye, a frown plain on his face. Calcifer did not miss the look, but instead eyed the stick hungrily.

"I bet that tastes really yummy. It's probably chock full of magic, knowing Suliman. Can I have just a little taste, just a tiny scorch? Please, Sophie?"

Sophie's clear laughter brightened the whole room, making Calcifer turn a rosy shade.

"Perhaps after we've dealt with the Dark; right now we need all the help we can get."

The silver box that held the fragments of the mirror Howl used to banish the Dark from Sophie stood in the middle of the table. The wizard was fiddling with the key as he watched Sophie play with his former teacher's staff. The staff was a tremendously powerful magic artifact, and he wondered if Sophie realized what a treasure she held in her hands. His attention perked up as Sophie suddenly spoke.

"I can't stop thinking about what the Dark said to me," Sophie faltered slightly, as though she were afraid to speak of such things.

"Go on, Sophie, these are important things we all need to know," Howl said encouragingly.

"When I first saw the Dark in the mirror, I saw myself. But it wasn't me. It seemed excited that it had found me, like it was hungry," Sophie shuddered.

"That makes sense," Calcifer mumbled around a bit of kindling that was smoldering with curls of grey smoke, "You may not want to admit it, but you have a powerful gift of magic. The daemon was excited to find you because your power acts as a gate between the mortal and otherworld. Currently it exists between the two planes. In order to become permanent in the mortal realm it basically needs to become you. To do that it needs eat your light."

Sophie shuddered again and looked at the fading mark on her wrist. She did not remember much from the ordeal, but she did remember the Dark invading her body in the cold black somewhere.

"What do you mean, my light?"

"Your heart and soul, Sophie," Howl spoke softly, his face hidden beneath his bangs. She glanced at him and his defensive posture. The wizard was leaning against the wall close enough to touch her, but had his arms crossed on his chest and his face turned toward Calcifer

"All living beings have magic, Sophie," Howl _continued_, "In the otherworld they glow like stars because of the magic that fills them."

"The otherworld," Sophie murmured. "You're talking about the place beyond the black mark, where the stars were on the ground instead of the sky?"

"Yes, that's the place. It's another way of looking at the universe, both ours and that of magic."

"But how can such horrible things live in such a beautiful place?"

"Magic comes from all living beings: me, you, Howl, the castle. Everything makes magic," Calcifer crackled softly, "But magic stems from love as much as it comes from hate."

"I liked being normal much better," Sophie grumbled and thumped Suliman's stick on the ground. Howl winced and grimaced at the sound, as though reliving some unfortunate memory from his childhood.

"I really hate that stick," he grumbled.

"May I see the pieces of the mirror, Howl?" Sophie leaned the staff against the wall and swiveled to regard the silver box in the middle of the table. "Suliman said to keep the shards, and that they would be helpful," she murmured. Howl placed the box in front of her and unlocked the lid. Sophie looked in at the dark pieces with much trepidation. She half expected to see the cold grey eyes staring back at her. But all she saw was darkness, a familiar emptiness that reminded her of something.

"That's it!" She cried causing Howl and Calcifer to jump in surprise, "The mirror!"

In her excitement Sophie had momentarily taken on a nimbus very similar to the one that surrounded Howl when he worked magic. The wizard stared at her with wonder and renewed love as the silver-haired woman shined like the earthly star he had seen in the otherworld.

"Eh?" Calcifer crackled, used to such magical displays.

"The Dark came through a mirror in Mrs. Goose's curiosity shop. There was a huge rectangular mirror with a crack in it. A shard fell out and shattered into tiny pieces. Then the black stuff started oozing out of the hole it left behind. I must have made the mirror into a door when I touched it."

"Mirrors are dangerous things. I never understood why you humans like to keep them around," Calcifer popped crankily. "You'll have to fix the mirror using one of these shards. It will negate the magic that cause it to become a doorway and cause the Dark to go back to the otherworld."

"But how do I fix a broken mirror?" Sophie's shoulders sank in dismay.

"Magic, silly!" Howl beamed and pointed at Suliman's stick. "You may not be trained, but that staff will help you do things that only an advanced sorcerer could do. Besides, I will be with you."

"And so will I!" Calcifer shot from the grate and hovered over their heads, crackling a bright crimson.

xXx

In the grey hours of the dawn, not long before the three had agreed to leave for Market Chipping, Howl woke to the sound of his door latch turning. Wordlessly he lifted the covers and Sophie slid into bed next to him. They lay there for awhile in each other's arms listening to the soft tinkle of the various wind chimes in Howl's room.

"Are you afraid, Howl?" The little witch asked in a small voice.

"Yes. Are you?" He replied as he stroked her silver hair.

"Yes."

There was silence for a while before Howl spoke.

"What do you want to do tomorrow, Sophie?"

"I think I'll make you a new shirt for summer. Something light and airy, with the split neck you like so well. What about you?"

"I'd like to marry you," the wizard Howl murmured ever so softly into her hair. Sophie pulled her head out from under his chin and stared into his eyes with such shock that Howl had to smile. Complete sincerity showed in his blue eyes, matched with absolute love.

"How about it, Ms. Witch? Will you marry horrible wizard Howl and spend the rest of your days in a flying castle full of magic?"

Sophie answered with a kiss, melting away any lingering doubts the wizard might have had.

xXx

The three of them crept out of aback alleydoorway into the early morning light. Markl and Granny Witch would be very angry at them for not saying good bye, but this perhaps was the best way to leave on such an occasion. Market Chippinggreeted them with only gloom and silence.

Much to Sophie's surprise, the city was not in ruins. It was simply empty. The villagers had fled the black magic that had taken their town without taking a single thing. In Kingsbury, before they left the palace, Suliman had assured her that the King and Prince were seeing to the wellbeing of the refugees.

But this morning dawned strangely. The city streets that Sophie had known all her life twisted in foreign mazes before her. She carried Suliman's staff in her right hand and wore Howl's ring on her left. Beside her, Howl carried the silver box and held her left hand in his right.

Calcifer crackled dimly above their heads, darting to and fro nervously. As they finally reached the city square, the mists thickened overhead. Suddenly, a huge wall out of the darkness loomed. Sophie's heart almost leapt out of her chest as she caught sight of two figures. But the menacing shapes resolved into familiar figures. Howl and Sophie realized they were staring at their own reflections as they paused in front of the enormous mirror that divided the city in half.

"The shop is on the other side of this thing," Sophie spoke as she glanced around anxiously. The little red flame zipped over the wall and came back.

"I can see it," chimed Calcifer.

"This is too easy," Howl muttered, castinghis eyes about. The wizard stepped lightly into the air and reached for Sophie. Another hand darted out from behind Sophie too quickly for her to react and took hold of Howl just as another pair yanked the silver-haired woman backwards through the mirror.

"Sophie!" Howl cried as she vanished into the wall.

The hand that latched onto his turned obsidian black as its reflection formed in the mirror. It could have been Sophie, but the eyes were cold and cruel. Calcifer dived from the sky and engulfed the arm. With a screech it retreated into the mirror and the image stood glowering at him.

With his othersight, Howl could see through the shape of the woman to the Dark that loomed like a wave of black water beyond the mirror. He could see now that this mirror wasn't just a wall; it was a physical embodiment of the Dark's boundaries. On the opposite side was the otherworld, into which the Dark had taken Sophie.

"Let her go or I will destroy your link to this world!" Howl shouted at the smirking figure, bursting into an angry aura of red and sickly purples.

_Smash us and she will be ours, ours, ours! _Laughed the reflection.

"She has Suliman's staff. It will protect her," Calcifer stated convincingly.

But Howl felt the weight of the silver box in his hand like a weight he in his heart. The premonition he had felt earlier crept up on him too clearly: sorrows always come in threes. Sophie had almost lost him when she broke his curse, he had almost lost Sophie when the Dark had tried to take her light, and now she had gone too far beyond for him to protect.

"Sophie needs the shards," he spoke softly, never breaking his gaze from the reflection. The shape in the mirror stood arrogantly for another moment or two, then nervously flicked its eyes at the box.

"Gotcha!" Howl smirked fiercely and he lifted the lid just as the shade looked at the box.

The figure shrieked as it saw the black shards where a piece of itself had been banished. It vanished along with the wall. The curiosity shop appeared in the mists beyond, although it was much worse for wear. All the glass from the windows was smashed and much of the store's contents had been strewn into the street. Howl flew through the doorway and tore _back_ the mirrors until only the rectangular frame remained.

The surface showed into the otherworld, but instead of the vast ocean of serenity, it displayed a dark corner filled with dim red lights of suffering. The indigo veil of the empty heavens filled the sky above, but it took on a bloody color as though it, too, had been burned. He could see the crack in the mirror clearly and the hole through which the Dark had come into this world. Opening the box, he looked in and saw that one of the shards showed the red lights of the otherworld. He picked it out and saw that it fit perfectly. Fate had an odd habit of making things work.

"Calcifer, can you find Sophie in there?" Howl looked up at his fire daemon friend, his face white and drawn with worry.

"I can try!" The little spark dove through the hole and disappeared into the otherworld, leaving the wizard behind to wait.

xXx

Sophie remembered the weightlessness from the first time she had ventured into the world beyond the black mark. But this was different. This was a place where suffering and hurt seeped in and putrefied like a pool of rancid water. Her feet suddenly touched down on barren ground. Looking up at the empty sky, Sophie despaired.

_Sophie._

She looked out over the great plain of twisting red lights. The voice faded as she realized that these were the lights of people who had suffered during the war and many other tragedies.

_So many_… She murmured to herself despondently. Sinking to her knees, the sliver haired woman let go of Suliman's staff and hid her face in her hands. It was awful; so much sorrow, so much loss in the world. It was too hard; she would never be able to make it home. She might as well give up.

_Sophie!_ The voice called again. It sounded familiar. Looking up she placed her hand on the staff to use it to stand up.

_NO!_ Shrieked a chorus of metal voices from behind her.

Sophie scrambled to her feet as the Dark towered over her like a great black wave. She held up Suliman's stick and the flood parted over the shining white aura that enveloped her. The screaming torrent crashed around her in oozing tendrils of smoke and wriggling horrors. She realized in that moment that the Dark had brought her back to this place to make her weak, to slowly sap away her will to fight so that she would be easy to consume. Standing tall, she fought against the melancholy that had so quietly seeped into her mind.

_Sophie_… A red light yelled in the distance. However, this one circled and gyrated, changing to greens and purples as it came closer.

_Calcifer_! She cried, only to realize that her voice made no sound in the otherworld. And yet she heard her friend's call clearly with the inner ear of her mind.

_Run, Sophie_! The fire daemon shouted and the novice witch sprang forward.

The Dark parted before her as she sprinted across the desert, but the evil torrent withdrew just like black water and rose up for another attack.

_Follow me, Sophie, _called Calcifer as he streaked ahead, guiding her across the endless black sands.

_Faster_… Sophie commanded herself, and Suliman's stick brought to life her magic.

She felt herself speed ahead of the wave, flying on a pair of silver wings she unfurled for the first timeThe ground flew beneath her feet and her sharp eyes caught sight of a point of light in the distance. Behind her the screams of the Dark became muted and distant as she sped before it. A great rectangular shape reared up before her and she saw Howl's dim outline through the mirror's frame. The hole to the mortal world was as tangible as a hole in a screen, and Calcifer shot through it, hovering above Howl's head.

"Sophie!" Howl cried in mix of joy and panic. His voice rang strangely in her ears in that in-between place. She realized she had regain the power to speak and wasted no time.

"Quick, Howl," Sophie passed her open hand through, "Give me the shard!"

The bit of glass took a bit of wiggling but finally the piece fit through. Then it dawned on Howl what he had just done. In the distance they both could hear the Dark's hellish chorus.

"Sophie, you have to come through. If you heal the mirror from inside you'll be trapped!" Howl's dim face was frantic.

"There's no time, the Dark is almost here. It's too small." Sophie stared through the glass and the wizard did not like the resolved look on her face one bit.

"I'll make it bigger," Calcifer offered.

"No! If you make it bigger the shard won't fit." Sophie replied.

Howl tried to think of reasons why this made no sense, but Sophie's calm voice reached him through his panic. It quavered slightly, but stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Silly wizard. The shard is this size for a reason."

"No!" Howl shouted.

But she had already fit the piece in place. The crack in the glass glowed white for a moment then filled seamlessly. He could still see her through the tears he did not notice. Sophie pressed her free hand to the mirror's surface and mouthed three words. Suddenly she looked over her shoulder, resolution plain on her features as she pressed her back to the mirror. Then the surface went blank and showing Howl his stricken reflection.

A moment later the mirror shattered into a thousand pieces.


	3. Chapter 3: Heroes

**Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga**

**Chapter 3: Heroes**

The afternoon light streamed into through the castle's windows, bathing the room in a gentle glow.

But it was too quiet.

There was no clatter of dishes being washed. No gentle whisking of a broom sweeping. No churning of clothes being cleaned. No sounds of a happy family. No soft steps of a woman up at an ungodly hour of the morning.

To the figure that huddled against the fireplace, the silence was maddening.

Howl's appearance was beyond disheveled, and to the little fire daemon it was a heartbreaking sight. The wizard's wild hair was full of leaves from when he fell sobbing in the garden yesterday, his white shirt torn and stained. Traces of a beard showed on his face. Howl laid his head against the cool stones of the hearth, listening to the crackling of Calcifer's fire.

Cal was the only one who braved Howl's grief after the mirror shattered. Granny Witch had taken Markl away at Calcifer's behest. The little red spark mostly left the wizard alone. Recently Howl's outbursts were less frequent; instead he simply paced the castle. Sometimes he would huddle up against the hearth stones like he did now.

It had only been seven days since the mirror had shattered and Howl had not spoken a word since.

The entire day passed like this and Howl barely moved. Calcifer had suggested eating, but Howl refused to speak. At this rate he would starve to death. The fire daemon was about to suggest this again when he heard the knob turn at the front door. Looking up from Howl, the little spark saw the dial was pointing to black. He flared up purple and white, his huge eyes fixed on the doorway in such a way that even Howl noticed.

The door opened silently, revealing the indigo veil of the otherworld's sky. Tiny foot prints pressed into the floor, accompanied by the soft thunk of wood on wood. The footsteps stopped directly in front of Howl, whose face was white with shock. A figure holding Suliman's staff began to coalesce within a faint white aura, tinged by pinks, blues, and purples. Smiling, Sophie solidified into existence. Her dress was torn and singed, her hair wild as the wizard's. She was on fire with her inner light.

"Joy, like sorrow, comes in threes." She spoke in a gentle.

With shaking hands Howl reached out and grabbed handfuls of her skirt as though he thought she would disappear. But she was very real.

"Sophie!" He whispered, and then pulled the woman by the hem of her dress down into his waiting arms.

xXx

It is said that love, like time, heals all wounds. Howl found himself musing about how quickly things could return to normal. Granny Witch and Markl returned home with a great deal of fussing. There had been so many tears again that Howl had instituted a rule that only laughter would be allowed in the house from then on, enforced by threat of laughing powder.

Sophie and Howl had become instant heroes because of their efforts in the village of Market Chipping. No doubt wizard Suliman had informed the King of their triumph over the Dark. The village returned to normal almost over night, and they had to stop answering the door under the stairs because so many people came to express their thanks and present gifts. Howl sent Markl out to gather up the presents from time to time, commenting that it would be rude to refuse them. The majority of them were for Sophie anyway, and he made sure that she opened every one. When she began to refuse them, he simply piled them in front of her door.

Sophie was the real hero in all of this anyway, and Howl made that clear to Prince Justin in no uncertain terms when the golden dandy paid a visit to give thanks in the Royal "We." Prince Justin had dripped charm all over Sophie in such a manner that Howl had trouble containing himself. He had almost turned the prince back into a turnip right there on the spot.

However, Justin's visit had not been all smiles and roses. The Prince of Marda, Ingary's neighbor to the east, had brought with him a letter from wizard Suliman. Howl found himself having mixed reactions to the contents.

He had known for some time that his old master was in ill health and that the peace negotiations were not going very well with their neighbor to the north, a country called Tyrn. Apparently word had reached Tyrn that a great daemon had been loosed in Market Chipping, which was very close to Tyrn's southern boarder. Magic was not as common in the northern country, which took a more superstitious view of the craft. Apparently the ambassadors were making all kinds of claims about the nature of the daemon. Things did not sound promising

Howl had no intentions of becoming involved. He had too recently tasted true sorrow, and he was not going to jeopardize the happiness of his family again. He did not like the subtle undertone of Suliman's letter, which insinuated that she fully expected Howl to take the position as Royal Sorcerer when she moved on to the otherworld. The raven-haired man had enough on his mind. Putting on his most charming smile for the Prince, Howl promised in vague terms that he had nothing to promise.

In the days that followed Justin's visit, Howl spent a great deal of time with his apprentice Markl, mostly out of guilt for having pushed him aside so quickly in his grief. The two of them romped about the castle playing with many of the toys that the townsfolk had left for them, Cal often not far behind. But life was not all fun and games; Howl took Markl's education very seriously, and now he had two pupil's to teach. He, his apprentice, and his soon to be wife often huddled about the kitchen table buried among huge books, scribbling enchantments and spells. Granny Witch was simply happy to be home again, and sat mumbling in her chair with Heen sleeping in her lap.

Sophie and Howl kept their separate rooms, although hers remained empty on most nights. In the quiet hours of the morning, they talked of everything, but mostly magic. The evening that Prince Justin came to visit, perhaps feeling threatened by the advances of the Royal "We," Howl brought up their engagement.

Howl, of course, wanted to have a huge and extravagant wedding and Sophie wanted a small family affair. Howl wanted to be married right away and Sophie thought it best to wait for things to settle down. Instead of quarreling like so many other couples, they ended up laughing about the fact that they couldn't agree upon a single thing. It did not matter, they knew that they were destined to be together; their magic, like the rings on their fingers, had already sealed the contract in their hearts if not already on paper.

Howl did not like facing things if he could avoid them. Sophie had called him the most notorious of slitherer-outers a long time ago before both of their curses had been lifted. It was not that he was a coward; he simply did not like to deal with unpleasantness if at all possible. The world was too full of sadness to focus on troubles all the time. Hence he did not dwell upon the seven days of utter wretchedness he had endured, nor did he care to recall the thoughts he had harbored about throwing himself from the flying castle's parapets after the mirror had smashed. Some would call this childish behavior. But Howl knew how to recognize the importance of situations when necessary. And he decided that dwelling wasn't necessary.

He had noticed changes in Sophie since her return from seven days in the otherworld. It was not that she had suddenly accepted her magic, whereas before if had seriously frightened her. Nor was it the fact that she knew a great deal about magic now. This he discovered after Markl asked her a question about a particularly hard assignment, which Sophie deftly solved. The main difference in her behavior was the hint of sadness in her eyes. He sometimes he caught her staring, deep in thought.

She had never spoken of what had passed on those days. The only indication that it had taken place was the conspicuous disappearance of ever mirror in the house save the large glass in the bathroom. Howl often found it covered with a cloth. And then there was the northern corner of Sophie's room. On a small shelf high in the wall sat the locked silver box that held the remaining mirror shards. Directly beneath it leaned Suliman's stick.

At first Howl had decided that her silence was simply her own way of slithering-out of talking about what must have been a most horrific ordeal. He knew that Sophie had accomplished a monumental task in escaping the Dark. Howl did not need Suliman to tell him that Sophie was marked by great magic. But still, his curiosity was getting the better of him.

That morning Howl was nestled into the veritable wall of pillows at the back of his bed. Sophie was curled up under his arm with the side of her face pressed against his chest. He stroked her hair gently, planting a kiss on top of her head at random intervals. Encouraged by the frank intimacy of their previous conversation, Howl decided to broach the subject.

"Sophie, what happened?"

His future wife let out a sigh and burrowed her head into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Sophie. I shouldn't have asked," He said quickly, voice tinged with contrition. He held her close but she shook her head and looked up at him, catching his attention with her serious brown eyes.

"No. It's my own fault for trying to act as though it never happened." She looked away and settled into the crook of his arm again.

He felt the prickle of magic run between them; in his othersight, the wizard watched as a slight sparkled glimmered here and there about the woman in his arms.

"It was simple really. I knew that you were waiting for me in the mortal world. My love for you gave me strength enough to break away from the plain of suffering. There was a wall, and at first it would not let me pass. But it relented and the Dark remained behind, trapped by the barrier. I did not know it took me so long to find my way back to you."

"Time moves much differently in the otherworld. It is a miracle you were able to find your way back to the portal," Howl's serious voice gave her an inkling of what a feat that accomplishment had been.

"Your ring helped guide me," Sophie held up her hand, the red jewel set into the silver ring on her index finger glimmered in the dim light. The wind chimes overhead gave an ominous peal.

"After the shadow took you into the otherworld, I was able to see the Dark for what it actually was. It was not simply a backlash of magic that had gone bad as Suliman suggests. Someone put it in that mirror on purpose."

Sophie pondered that for a moment, "Something it said as it faded away disturbed me. It spoke of others. We should ask Mrs. Goose where the mirror came from."

The old woman who owned the curiosity shop had survived the ordeal and perseveringly cleaned up her storefront for reopening. Her shop had gained a magical reputation. Young wizards and witches of all skills often frequented the store in search of magical bobbles and cursed cooking pots.

"Turnip-head brought a letter from Suliman today" Howl spoke quickly, his intuition tickling between his ears, "Apparently the negotiations between Ingary and Tyrn are going poorly. News of the Dark sent their ambassadors into a tizzy."

"Sometimes I think Cal is right. I'm beginning to understand why you don't like being shackled by obligations."

"There's one obligation I'm looking forward to being shackled by," Howl turned and brought his face very close to Sophie, his liquid blue eyes melted her heart.

"There will be fireworks, fields of roses and silk, and a cake as big as the castle so we can feed thousands of guests!"

Sophie giggled and shrank into the pillows with a grin on her face, "I was thinking about just dressing the castle up with some flowers from the backyard, and making a nice dinner for our family."

"Big wedding!" Demanded Howl, his face alight with his most charming, yet mischievous grin.

"Little wedding!" Sophie stood her ground, crossing her arms over her chest and doing her best to look serious and unperturbed by his closeness.

"Medium wedding?" Howl whispered, his lips a mere fraction from her own.

"Done!" She murmured, and then squealed in glee as Howl pounced her.

xXx

It took then nearly an hour to walk four blocks in Market Chipping village. Every store owner and townsperson wanted to shake their hands and offer their thanks. Howl graciously received their compliments for both of them. All the attention made Sophie nervous. Somehow Howl managed to please every small crowd with his dazzling smile and mellifluous tenor laugh. Every townsperson went away charmed and smiling.

"I don't know how you do this, Howl," Sophie whispered, and flashed a watery smile at a couple of woman who leaned out of windows waving their handkerchiefs. It took her a moment to realize they were waving at Howl, then her faced turned sour and she took hold of the wizard's hand in a proprietary manner. This made Howl grin. Sophie noticed that the raven-haired man was in excellent form that morning, glowing like the green jewels that hung from his ears.

_Howl's eating all this attention with a silver spoon_, she thought to herself, undecided over whether to be annoyed or amused.

"This is excellent for business, Sophie," He said without moving his lips, the dazzling smile on his face remaining perfect. Sophie had learned that Howl had many unique talents, some of which did not involve magic.

"We do need to make a living," His disembodied voice spoke in a matter of fact way. She replied with a grumpy huff but her gloomy mood faltered significantly as she caught sight of Mrs. Goose's shop.

"You don't need to come in, Sophie." Howl's kind voice gave her strength.

"No. This is _our_ responsibility now."

Howl grinned at her use of the inclusive pronoun.

As they neared the shop, Sophie saw that that the store looked exactly as it had before. However, this time it was absolutely packed. Sophie couldn't help but notice that many of the customers looked a great deal like the blond haired Howl she had first met. The frogfish look on his face as he caught sight of the be-spangled dandies made her giggle.

"What?" He demanded crossly.

"Nothing," She replied, just barely containing herself.

It was then that she caught sight of the medium sized plaque that stood in the shop's window. The white board was painted with strong black letters that advertised the storefront as the location of the great battle between the Black Daemon and the Wizard Howl and the Witch Sophie. Someone had illustrated the scene, and a great black blob loomed menacingly over two human figures: a mottle-color clad blond man and a silver-haired woman in grey. Each of the figures was outlined in a golden nimbus.

"It seems your former self has left an impression on the town," Sophie mused.

"They never do get it right in the stories. Besides, you did all the work."

Sophie was about to reply when three girls in pretty dresses passed her by, each of them had tinted their hair a silver color and cut it short like the image in the sign. It was Sophie's turn to make a face, which made Howl snigger.

"Remember, dear heart, flattery is the highest form of compliment. Or is that imitation? I can't remember."

"Sophie, dear? Is that you?" The original silver-haired woman turned and caught sight of Mrs. Goose hobbling toward her with a basket full of groceries.

"Mrs. Goose, how good to see you!" Sophie replied happily.

"Ah, I see you've brought your wizard with you," the little old woman peered up at the raven-haired man, who gave her a dashing smile.

"Hello to you, wizard Howl," She leaned towards him and spoke in a conspiratorial way although they were in plain sight of the entire street. "I see you're in disguise! I don't blame you, seeing the way all these magpies strut about."

Apparently the old woman had forgotten Howl had black hair the last time they met. But the wizard chuckled good-naturedly and leaned down, equally conspiratorially. "Do you think anyone has recognized me, dear lady?"

"I can't say that I've noticed. But do come in! Business has been especially good since I reopened the shop. Every hedge witch and house wizard from all over Ingary has been here to try and buy some scrap of useless junk. The town even insisted on putting up this sign to inform tourists. You two have definitely made a name for Chipping Market."

"Let me take that for you, madam." Howl relieved her of her basket.

"Thank you, dear. Wait here a moment," Mrs. Goose replied and then straightened he shawl before shoving her way into the store. Shortly after there was a great deal of ruckus as grumbling customers came pouring out of the little antique shop. From inside the two could hear the old woman arguing with some customer who was quite intent on purchasing some item.

"I said out!" Came a cry from within.

A frazzled man in a good green suit quickly hurried from the store clutching his hat with a terrified expression. He was followed closely by the grey old woman, who emerged shaking her cane. "If you want it so badly you can come back and buy your bobble later this afternoon!"

Dusting off her apron and straightening her ruffled bonnet, Mrs. Goose turned a beaming smile on Sophie and Howl as she gestured into the store.

"Do come in, we've the whole place to ourselves now."

Sophie half expected to feel the evil presence that had lurked in the store on the evening she had let loose the Dark. But the shop was as warm and inviting as it had been when she had first entered it. There was a mousy brown girl at the till who blanched a snowy white as she caught sight of her mistress' guests.

"Put the kettle on, would you, Jenny? There's a good girl," The little girl scurried off and Sophie looked after her, smiling. Mrs. Goose shooed several fat cats from a circle of low couches in the middle of the shop that had been arranged to act as a sitting area. Sophie was glad to find that there was not a single mirror in the store.

"I bet you're noticing the conspicuous lack of a particular item from the shop, my dear? No need to speak of it, but I'm done with those. No more will they be part of my inventory!"

Jenny came back into the room with a tray of biscuits and a small teapot in rosy wool cozy. The gilded china was painted with pretty flowers.

"Thank you, Jenny. Be a dear and take the basket Mr. Howl is holding into the kitchen," Mrs. Goose took the tray and set it on the small table in front of them, going about serving the tea in a very motherly manner. Not able to resist, Howl turned the full lamp of his charm on the girl as he held out the basket and smiled, his emerald earrings glinting.

"Jennifer, was it? What a pretty name."

The girl turned as scarlet as Calcifer, staring at her shoes as she took the basket from Howl. Sophie took that moment to elbow the wizard in the ribs as hard as she could. The raven-haired wizard covered the whoosh of air that escaped him by coughing. Jenny retreated as though she were pursued by daemons. Mrs. Goose served him a cup of tea, a mild look on her face.

"Careful, Mr. Howl, or she'll start spreading rumors you're after the hearts of pretty girls again. Jenny's a good girl, but a notorious gossip. Now, what can I do for you two?"

Recovering himself with great dignity, Howl took a sip of his tea as Sophie glowered at him. Then the silver haired witch got straight to the point.

"We would like to know about the cracked mirror. Where it came from, who sold it to you, and anything you can remember about people who have expressed interest in it."

"Now, let's see." Mrs. Goose munched on a biscuit and lifted up her tea absentmindedly as a fat cat claimed her lap. Her simple black dress was absolutely covered in cat hair. "As I recall, the mirror came from Tyrn not too long ago. It was right before the War broke out and right after Prince Justin went missing. I don't normally take damaged goods for trades but it was an odd piece. Rather plain but charming none the less. Or perhaps it was the seller who was charming. I'm a shameful mark for handsome young men, especially ones with funny accents. For the life of me I can't remember what his name was. He had such lovely hair."

Mrs. Goose mused almost as though she was in a dream. Sophie sensed that something was not quiet right.

"Mrs. Goose?" Sophie reached out and touched the old woman, a shock went through the young witch and she snatched back her hand. The shopkeeper was deeply entrenched in the hazy fog of the enchantment placed on her. The hatter's daughter flashed a worried glance at her fiancé, but Howl waved off her worries.

"Don't worry. She's alright. There is a memory spell on her. I'm impressed, she a tough granny to remember so much. This is really interesting."

Howl was looking at the old woman with the fey smirk that he wore when he was seeing with his othersight.

"Can you take it off of her?" Sophie asked anxiously. She did not like the idea of a spell being on such a dear old woman. Howl was peering at her closely.

"We shouldn't meddle with this kind of magic. It is often in the best interests of the afflicted person to let the charm remain. Too bad, it would have been useful to know who had sold her the mirror. Its rather interesting that it should come from Tyrn."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door and Jenny scurried in from the back room, eyeing Howl nervously. She opened the front door.

"Eh?" Piped the old woman birdishly, snapping out of her trance. "I thought I put the closed sign out. Whoever it is, Jenny, tell them to go away!"

"But, Mrs. Goose, its Ambassador Varra. He has an appointment with you about the suit of armor." Jenny called back.

The young girl ushered the man into the room, folding his rich purple cloak but not offering to take his twisted ebony cane.

The man was tall and thin, almost exactly the same build as Howl. He wore a parti-colored doublet of red and black with loose silk trousers and shiny black riding boots. On his hands were crimson gloves which he did not bother to remove. His pale white skin marked him as a man from the north, where snows consumed the Tyrn country for most of the year. His face was clean shaven, with a strong square jaw framed by wavy copper hair pulled back into a long braid. His emerald eyes glowed with a fey light that almost seemed to glint in the heavy purple jewel that hung from a thick gold chain around his neck.

Sophie knew with one look that he was a wizard, and one of considerable talent. She did not sense malevolence from him, only a cold sort of amusement tinted with arrogance. But that was not to say that she did not think him dangerous.

"Oh dear, I completely forgot! Do forgive me, dearies. Jenny, do bring another tray for the Ambassador," Mrs. Goose stood quickly, displacing the fat orange tabby which meowed in displeasure.

"I do not mean to intrude, Mrs. Goose. I can return at a later time or your guests can stay should they like," Varra spoke with a voice full of charm.

"Not to at all. We were just on our way," Howl smiled graciously and stood smoothly. But the ambassador stepped forward, blocking the exit in the maze of clutter in the shop.

"Forgive my intrusion, but you are Master Howl, are you not? Royal Wizard Suliman has spoken highly of your recent accomplishments. I am privileged to meet such an esteemed Sorcerer." With that Varra gave a stiff bow from the hip, never taking his eyes off of Howl.

"Indeed, Ambassador Varra. Your reputation precedes you as well. I hear that your level thinking has brought much progress to the peace meetings between Ingary and Tyrn." Howl replied in a voice as smooth as silk. He returned the red-haired sorcerer's bow with a flourish filled with far more panache.

"And this must be Lady Sophie. You are far more beautiful that the stories foretell."

Sophie turned a ruddy color under the foreigner's intense gaze, but a place in her heart went icy as she found a familiar quality in the red-haired wizard's eyes. She cast off her earlier assessment of the wizard, there was definitely something threatening in him now.

"Um, welcome to Market Chipping," She mumbled uncomfortably.

"Please don't let us keep you from your business any further. Give my regards to Wizard Suliman next time you see her," Howl spoke in an amiable voice although his eyes were quiet cold. Taking Sophie's arm, he helped her to her feet as the Ambassador stood aside.

"Indeed. I shall tell Suliman myself," He replied cryptically, a nasty look in his eyes. "Perhaps we shall meet again quite soon."

"Goodbye, dearies!" The old woman called after them.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Goose!" Howl called back to her and they left the shop just as Jenny brought in another tray. Sophie could feel Varra's eyes upon them even after they left the store and walked quickly around the corner.

"Well!" Howl smirked in a low voice, the peculiar expression still on his face. "That was interesting."

"Howl," Sophie began, but the wizard silenced her with a serious glance.

They walked in silence down the back alleys of the village until they reached a door with a mark of blue paint above its handle. Once the pair had entered the castle by way of the door under the stairs, Howl turned and made a cutting motion with his hand. A spark of magic splintered the air and a long red string floated to the ground, and then pulled itself back under the door.

"What was that all about?" Calcifer zipped over to the hover by the door, crackling oranges and reds in surprise.

"Just a nosy wizard trying to eavesdrop on our conversation," Howl replied mildly, then with another flick of his hand the blue mark disappeared from the door, "I'm afraid we won't be going to Chipping Market for quite some time."

"Where is Markl?" Sophie asked with concern.

"In the garden with Granny Witch and Heen; they're pulling in the laundry," Cal replied.

"I think I'll go help them," The silver-haired witch disappeared out the French doors and around the corner, leaving behind the wizard and the fire spirit.

"We had a run in with a Wizard from Tyrn at the curiosity shop in Market Chipping," Howl explained as he took a seat before the fire. "Apparently he is one of the ambassadors involved in the peace process. I also suspect that he sold the shopkeeper the mirror, and had a hand in placing the scarecrow curse on Prince Justin."

"That's bad news, Howl," Calcifer crackled in a small voice, settling back into the hearth. The wizard let out a hearty sigh and sank into the chair wearily.

"I was hoping we could have the wedding sooner, but not with this mess going on," Howl mused softly to himself and then slapped a hand over his mouth as he realized he was thinking out loud.

"You're what? Why didn't you tell me?" Calcifer roared, exploding up into the fireplace in a crackling plume of white and purple flame.

"Shhh!" Howl hissed, waving his hands up and down and frowning furiously as he cast a wary eye out to the garden. "It's still a secret! Pipe down, will you!"

"When did this happen?" Calcifer growled smokily as he shrank to an angry red flame.

"The night before we took care of the Dark."

"And you didn't tell me!" Calcifer trembled upwards again and Howl gritted his teeth and renewed his shushing.

"Circumstances being what they were, I wasn't quite sure how things were going to end up," Howl replied quietly and Calcifer dimmed, no doubt remembering past events.

"Why not just do it and be done with it?" Cal muttered.

"Because I want it to be perfect, Cal," Howl snapped angrily, "Not some slap-dash-back-ally-altar-jump-the-broom ceremony. Sophie deserves much better than that!"

Calcifer seemed cowed by that and the little spark was quiet for a moment. Then he spoke with his round eyes fixed on the wizard, "Wow, Howl. You're actually thinking of someone besides yourself for once."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Howl muttered then gave a start as there was a knock at the front door.

"Kingsbury door!" Calcifer chimed, "King's messenger."

Howl stood and went to the front portal warily, his intuition putting him on edge. As he opened the door, a stiff emotionless messenger wearing all black gave him a quick salute and then held out a completely black envelope, wrapped in a black ribbon and sealed with the king's emblem in black wax. Howl snatched up the letter and slammed the door in the messenger's face. Then he sat down hard on the first step, staring at the letter in his hand, his face pale.

"What is it, Howl?" Calcifer darted over and hovered above his friend's shoulder.

"Suliman," Howl whispered, "She's dead."


	4. Chapter 4: Decisions

**Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga**

**Chapter 4: Decisions**

There was a knock as his door and the latch gave a soft scrape as someone slipped into his room. One of the bobbles overhead gave a chime. On the spinning mobile, a piece of black crystal spun and returned to point west to Kingsbury. On his side table, Sophie could see the black letter, still unopened. It was a royal invitation to Wizard Suliman's funeral, but she needed no magic to know that.

"Howl?" Sophie all but whispered as she stood next to the bed, eyeing the man shaped lump buried under the covers and mound of pillows. The silver-haired woman sat on the edge of the bed and laid her head on top of the bump.

"Are you hungry, Howl? Can I get you anything?"

A human hand crept out from under the covers and Sophie took it in her own. A muffled voice came from directly under a dog shaped stuffed animal.

"Markl and I have a lot in common. Both of us have no family. We were lucky to have found such generous masters." Sophie knew that Howl used this kind of bravado to hide his pain. She stroked the hand in hers for a while, and then quickly straightened as the wizard surfaced for air.

Sitting up in bed, the raven-haired man threw pillows and stuffed animals across the room indiscriminately in a fit of despair, causing a jumble of gaudy somethings to crash to the floor in a pile. She patiently indulged him in his tantrum, reminding herself that Howl was experiencing intense pain at this moment. It was times like this that Sophie remembered that the wizard had the heart of a child. She regarded him mildly as he settled back, gazing up at the ceiling.

Howl's eyes were red rimmed from crying, his nose was stopped up and his voice was hoarse. She had sensed him close off to her earlier when she was out in the garden, and had heard his door slam. Calcifer filled her in quickly when she came back into the house, but she left him alone. Sophie simply waited, going about her day as normal for the sake of the rest of the family, and about five minutes ago Howl had opened the door in his mind a crack.

"My uncle never had time for me as a child. I was lucky that Suliman saw some ability in me, otherwise I would have been completely alone," Howl's voice was stronger now, less brittle.

"She and I never quite saw eye to eye. I felt her methods were too extreme. For a while I was terrified of her because I thought her cruel. It took me a while to realize she wasn't pitiless. It was simply that she could not show mercy as the wizard responsible for the lives of all the people in Ingary. Suliman was the closest thing I've ever had to a mother or a father. I loved her very much."

Howl rolled over and placed his head in her lap and gave a great sigh. Sophie smoothed his wild hair and the wizard's face took on a peaceful expression.

"You're all I have now, Sophie; you and our little family."

The silver-haired woman leaned over and planted a kiss on the side of his head. The obsidian charm overhead gave a soft ting as it swiveled and began once again to point madly towards Kingsbury.

At the sound Howl's face took on a savage expression and he sat up in a single move, startling Sophie. The furious wizard ripped the chime from the wall and threw it across the room, where it landed in the jumble of shiny somethings. Howl flopped back into the bed and pulled a stuffed bear over his head. Sophie glanced over at the pile, noting how the obsidian stone gleamed wickedly at her.

"Foul-play," She murmured in shock, and in her mind's eyes Sophie saw a flash of the cruel expression on Ambassador Varra's face when he promised to relay Howl's regards to wizard Suliman.

"He killed her," Howl sobbed in anguish from beneath the bear, "Somehow he murdered Suliman."

"How do you know that?" Sophie asked evenly, trying not to sound dubious. Howl could jump to conclusions when he was upset, and this was a particularly large stretch.

"It was in his eyes," her fiancé continued darkly, his intense gaze distant as though he were seeing into the past, "Something wasn't right about the way he offered to relay my regards to Suliman. It was like he was gloating. Besides, Mrs. Goose said that a man with red hair sold the mirror to her, and that it came from Tyrn. That is too convienient to be a coincidence."

That took a moment to sink in. Howl did not frequently receive premonitions, although he had the gift of truesight. Additionally, her wizard was a very intelligent man, and had keen analytical skills. He could see the truth in anything if he looked hard enough. However, Howl hardly ever cared to look very hard at anything, which was something that infuriated Sophie to no end. But that mattered little at this point in time. The silver sorceress was still reeling under the revelation that someone had been able to assassinate the invincible woman of stone seemed almost impossible. But Suliman had been unwell, and perhaps far weaker than she appeared. Sophie's intuition recalled the exhaustion she had shown when the royal wizard spoke of the peace talks.

"Suliman knew she was in trouble… Why didn't she say something?" Sophie whispered.

"Politics," Howl muttered bitterly, at last tossing aside the bear. Sophie could see that he was crying again, tears leaking down the sides of his face.

"She knew that if she spoke against the peace ambassadors, it would set in motion a series of events that would lead straight back to war. She kept trying to negotiate the terms of the treaty. Brave Suliman; she tried to save us."

Sophie had never liked politics; they made no sense to her because of the suffering inherent in double-handed dealings.

"All for power," Howl spoke flatly, drying his eyes on his shirt. Sophie fished her handkerchief out of her pocket before the wizard could blow his nose on his shirt. Howl's blue eyes were distant and uncharacteristically serious; she could hear him thinking.

"Tyrn is a small country with few resources besides snow. Even their magic is small. Varra is crafty to have pulled off such a scheme."

"What do you mean?"

"This is just speculation, but it makes sense. Varra tricked Ingary into starting the War with Marda, over the kidnapping of Prince Justin. The Prince had been dispatched to negotiate trade agreements with Ingary, but he never made it past the Wastes. That red-haired bastard must have been waiting for him in Market Chipping. He's probably the one who put the curse on old turnip-head as well."

"But, why? What good could have come from instigating a war between Ingary and Marda? "

Sophie remembered the vast plain of red lights in the otherworld beyond the broken mirror. Fuel for the Dark, she realized in horror. But she returned her attention to Howl as he continued, getting all the more angry as he spoke. His hair flickered in the otherwind and several of the chimes above them tinkled in response.

"Think about this, Sophie. Varra was going to wait until Ingary and Marda were war weary, and then he was going to release Justin from the curse and stage it as a rescue. That would put Ingary in the wrong and somehow indebted to Tyrn, giving them an in to the Capital.

"But you foiled that plan when you let Justin loose of his curse early. However, it still brought Tyrnian ambassadors to Ingary; but this time under the guise of facilitating peace talks between Ingary, Tyrn, and Marda."

"To what end?" Sophie was still at a loss.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that Suliman was somehow a threat to his plan."

Sophie could only stare at him and think helplessly of the situation. Howl vented his renewed frustration by tossing the stuffed bear, and then sat clenching his fists because he had run out of things to throw.

"Poor, dear Suliman," He murmured.

"Do Prince Justin and King Ferdinand know?" Sophie spoke up finally and Howl flopped back onto the bed.

"I don't know," Howl said in a soft voice, and once again his anger had gone, leaving him fragile.

After waiting a moment, Sophie climbed into bed with Howl. She rested her back against the headboard as the wizard rolled onto his side, putting his head in her lap again. She stroked his hair and he was peaceful once more.

"A big wedding," he murmured into her lap, "With thousands of roses, enormous cakes, and fireworks."

"I thought we agreed on a medium wedding?" Sophie smiled in spite of herself, realizing that Howl was falling asleep.

"I do so love fireworks, Sophie," He murmured, his breathing becoming soft and even.

xXx

Royal Witch Suliman's funeral was a grand affair befitting the respect and honor due to the great woman.

In Kingsbury every house was adorned with black and purple draperies. In the great procession that took place during the three days after the woman's death, every man, woman, and child in the capital passed through the great cathedral where Suliman's body lay in state. Rumor had it that the wizard had died peacefully in her sleep and city whispered gracious prayers of thanks for that mercy.

The King of Tyrn himself had come to the occasion, accompanied by a generous escort of royal soldiers. This was a bold move, but it was tolerated as a show of faith from the Igarians. The King of Tyrn brought thousands of white lilies, which glowed like snow in candles of the cathedral. Howl himself had sent several hundred black roses the morning after the letter arrived. The raven-haired wizard had emerged from his room briefly to send the order, and then disappeared for two more until the day of the funeral.

The whole family had insisted on accompanying Howl and Sophie to the funeral, and the wizard did not have the heart to tell them no. In spite of his worries, he was glad to have his family with him. Suliman had recently written her will, and in it she requested that the raven-haired wizard be one of her pallbearers. No doubt even this act was meant as a hard lesson for Howl.

Sophie felt strange dressed entirely in black; it made her feel like a ghost because of the paleness of her hair. Markl was very somber that morning, and politely stood for Sophie as she brushed his unruly hair. Even Granny witch was subdued, consoling poor Heen who curled up in her lap rather pitifully. Sophie heard Howl's door open and listened intently to the steps pass the bathroom and come down the stairs.

Turning, she took in Howl and her heart went out to him. The raven-haired wizard was dressed entirely in black, bareheaded and completely unadorned. Even his earrings were missing. Gone was the usual smile on his bright face, he did not even look at her. But Sophie knew better, she saw more than sorrow in him, she could feel the distant ember of his anger.

"Is it time?" Granny Witch asked, standing with Heen in her arms.

"Yes, time to go." Howl spoke softly; a kind look passed over his face as Markl went over and hugged his master as hard as he could. Wizard Howl tousled his apprentice's hair, undoing all of Sophie's work, but his smile stayed any words she could have said. She had brought Suliman's staff with her. It seemed right to her to bring it.

Howl led the family down the stairs and out the door with Calcifer flickering a melancholy blue overhead. In Kingsbury the crowds parted for them, eyeing both Sophie and Howl with deference. She did not need magic to hear what they were whispering. Another addendum of Suliman's will was that Howl be named her successor. Sophie was very angry at Suliman for a moment; it was very cruel of her to force this on Howl. She must have been well aware that it was the last thing he would have wanted. But her anger softened when she remembered the difficult circumstances that surrounded the Royal Witch's last days. It was clear she had no choice.

She was glad for the black hat with its thick veil that she and Granny Witch wore. It was a custom of Chipping Village that also seemed appropriate. They each took one of Markl's hands and the little boy gazed about from time to time, but mostly looked at the ground.

They reached the cathedral quickly and the guards let them pass. There were fewer people now, mostly courtiers and close friends of Suliman's. Sophie led the rest of the family off to the side to sit in the pews closest to the front. Sophie caught several startled looks when many of the witnesses recognized her stick. But she didn't care.

Howl went ahead to stand on the dais near Prince Justin of Marda and King Ferdinand of Ingary. Heen suddenly gave a mournful wheeze and jumped form Granny Witch's arms. The little dog scrambled over to the casket and flopped itself down at its foot, giving another despondent wheeze. A fourth man on the dais with yellow hair and kind brown eyes smiled sympathetically at Heen. Sophie had never seen before, but the weak smile that passed between he and Howl told her that they had both been apprentices of the great woman. All of them looked horrible, and Sophie knew they were taking Suliman's loss very hard.

The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood up and through the thick cloth of her veil Sophie caught Varra watching her. She saw his expression briefly before he quickly turned his eyes away. It was a troubled expression, mixed with surprise. Apparently Varra had not counted on them being there.

The ambassador was standing on the far side of the room under the red banner of the Tyrnian country. Beside him stood a very young man dressed in such finery that no one could doubt the fact that he was a king, in spite of the nervous and inexperienced expression on his face. So this was the King of Tyrn; another patsy in Varra's plan, Sophie surmised.

The ceremony passed quickly, but the inside of the Cathedral seemed cavernous and stuffy. Sophie did not care for all the service. It seemed false in her eyes, in light of the truth of the matter. At the end Howl and the three other's carried the casket into the gardens of the Palace followed shortly by Heen and the rest of the witnesses. A great pyre waited for Suliman, once lit the bonfire would burn all night, and the witnesses would toast the life of their loved until the last embers were smoldering. Calcifer was given a great honor by being asked to light the fire, and the little spark plumed into a great purple white flame and set off a blaze that rivaled the setting sun.

After that the guest filled into the greenhouse, where a banquet waited for them. Howl, Prince Justin, the King and the other apprentice all disappeared. Calcifer had gone with Howl, so Sophie did not worry too much. Although she spent the rest of the evening keeping a sideways eye on Varra.

Sophie barely touched her food, although Granny Witch and Markl ate the sumptuous meal with gusto. Their enthusiasm made her smile and she even allowed Markl to have a sip of the sparkling wines the waiters were serving. Several well dressed guests came by to inquire about Howl, but she could tell that their curiosity was really directed at her. She had removed her hat after the ceremony and stood out like a sore thumb with her silver hair and wizard's staff. She smiled politely and answered their many questions as best she could without being too revealing. She had learned much from Howl about how to politely slither-out of answering a question without being insulting.

Soon the wake began to wind down. People came by less frequently since she held Markl in her lap. The little apprentice had fallen fast asleep with his arms around her neck. Even Granny Witch began to nod off, with Heen in her arms. The old witch had amused herself to no end by spending the whole evening gawking and muttering to herself about all the fancy people. She even flirted with a couple of handsome young serving boys. She was about to send a curious thought in Howl's direction, when she caught sight of Varra coming towards her with a king in tow.

"Dear Lady Sophie, please don't stand," The King of Tyrn spoke kindly with a genuine smile on his face. Varra did a poor job of covering his disgust for the common way his king was addressing a commoner.

"Lady Sophie, my I introduce His Royal Highness, King Walden of Tyrn," Varra introduced his king with the urbanity of a well costumed courtier.

"It is a great honor to meet you, you Highness," Sophie nodded her head in the most gracious gesture she could perform in her current circumstance.

Sophie instantly took a liking to the King of Tyrn and she pitied his unfortunate situation. He looked as though he could barely be 17 years of age. Before Varra had a chance to commandeer the conversation, Walden proceeded to tell her with breathless excitement how he had heard many tales about her and the great wizard Howl. Next he launched into a speech expressing genuine contrition about the circumstances of the War and made a very solemn promise to work to settle peace between the Ingarians, the Mardans and the Tyrnians.

Sophie was taken back by the fact that the young king spoke to her as though she were a queen, and the starry look in his eyes made her a bit nervous. However, she was enjoying every moment. By the end of the kings little speech, the look in Varra's eyes was pure venom, in spite of his calm demeanor. She decided at that moment that Walden would make an excellent ruler and that he was not at all Varra's patsy.

"Forgive me for being impertinent, Lady Sophie, but is that your son you hold in your arms?" That Markl was her son seemed to make Walden nervous.

"Not by blood, no. He is the apprentice of wizard Howl," Sophie replied evenly, holding tighter to Markl protectively.

"Ah, that is good… So you do indeed wield the staff of the late witch Suliman?"

The silver-haired woman relaxed as she realized that Walden wasn't interested in Markl. Instead he seemed absolutely in awe of the chunk of wood she held in her hand. Sophie would have laughed at him were he not a King. She was also aware of the nervous glitter in Varra's eyes as she cast a meaningful look in his direction.

"Yes it is." She replied

"That means you must be a witch!" Sophie could have rolled her eyes and readjusted her age assessment of the young King. He sounded just like her sister Martha when she asked her master Mrs. Fairfax if she could really do magic; in fact she could feel the question coming. Varra looked absolutely dismayed, especially since several guests were taking note of the King's little scene.

"Do some magic, oh please! Varra never does anything interesting!" Walden practically begged.

Sophie found herself wanting to kiss Walden as she watched the ambassador wilt and squirm. But she also felt a bit awkward. Sophie had performed magic on several occasions for customers but she never did quite get used to it. However, one does not say no to a King of any country.

Sophie lifted Suliman's staff and thunked it against the ground heavily. For a brief moment she and the staff were consumed in a blue-purple fire that twisted and sparked, leaving her eyes behind to flash and burn. Completely untouched and as peaceful as ever, Markl slept in her lap bathed in the blue glow. She cast her eyes at Varra during that moment, putting behind that look the promise that she meant to consume him. It was only a brief second, not long enough to attract much attention, but she received applause from Walden and several others once she returned to normal

"Beautiful! Absolutely magnificent, Lady Sophie! You truly are a sorceress of great power."

It felt like an empty parlor trick and Sophie would have regretted it completely if she had not seen the cold look in Varra's eyes give way for a second to what could only be fear. She smiled at the Prince and once again caught that starry-eyed look, really beginning to feel nervous. Suddenly Calcifer zipped into the greenhouse and hovered nervously above Sophie.

"Everything alright, Sophie? I smelled magic." The fire daemon did his best to resist singing Varra, who stepped back from the spark as it settled on above the silver-haired witch's shoulder.

"Fantastic!" Cried Walden, who gazed at Calcifer with wide eyes, "Is this your daemon, Sophie?"

"Hey! I'm nobody's property, buddy!" Calcifer crackled purple-white at the King, who flinched back then laughed in his good-natured way.

"This must be the great Calcifer! I've heard of him too." Replied the king with a conciliatory smile. Calcifer seemed to be at a loss and Sophie swore the little red flame blushed a rosy red.

"Everything is fine, Calcifer. This is His Royal Highness King Walden of Tyrn," Sophie motioned to the young boy.

"Um… Nice to meet you, King Walden." The young ruler bowed to the fire daemon, who shrank smaller and turned pink again.

"Calcifer, would you take Markl and Granny home? It's getting late."

"Sure thing, Sophie," Calcifer replied.

Granny Witch woke up at her name. The old witch put down Heen and gathered Markl into her arms as Sophie handed him off. The silver-haired woman kissed both of them on the cheek and pointed them after Calcifer.

"Oh, what a pretty fire," the former witch of the wastes murmured and tottered after the fire daemon. They paused for a minute as the little spark shot back to her.

"I forgot. The King of Ingary and Prince Justin would like you to join them in Suliman's study," With that the little flame sped off after the old witch. They would be safe, Sophie was sure of that. Varra could do nothing to them as long as Calcifer was with them.

"If you would excuse me, King Walden, Ambassador Varra," Sophie stood and wandered off in what she thought was the right direction. Her heart sank as she caught sight of the cruel look in Varra's eyes as he watcher her go.

Prince Justin and the King wanted to see her? Not Howl? Sophie had a very uneasy feeling about this. After getting turned around in circles, Sophie managed to get directions out of a harried servant. The little blond boy pointed her in the right direction only after staring in terror at her for a few seconds. As she walked Sophie reflected on her revelations about Varra.

He was not nearly as strong as she had once feared. Clearly he had not expected she and Howl to come to the funeral. If a silly little parlor trick could put some fire in his britches the sorcerer must not be as powerful as he liked to project. However, instead of being consoled by this fact Sophie was made all the more nervous. That meant something else was behind all of their troubles.

As she finally found herself in a familiar setting, Sophie became aware of distant raised voices. One in particular she recognized as Howl's. Although she felt guilty for eavesdropping, Sophie listed at the door before knocking.

"I can't believe that you're actually considering these terms!" Howl practically screamed, followed by the sounds of crashing and things breaking.

"Now, Howl, be reasonable!" An unfamiliar voice spoke. It must be the other apprentice who had bore Suliman's casket to the flames.

"I can't BELIEVE that you're actually siding with them Barimus!" Howl yelled incredulously.

"This is for the good of the country, Howl."

Sophie heard the strong tones of King Ferdinand's voice cut through the sounds of more smashing and fabric ripping. Sophie couldn't believe that Howl was actually yelling at the King of Ingary. In the background she could hear someone sobbing softly and she decided this was Justin. Sophie reverently prayed that Howl had not harmed him.

"There, there, Prince Justin. She was never interested in you anyway," Barimus appeared to be trying to console the prince, who started out in another fit of tears. Apparently Barimus wasn't doing a good job.

"These are the terms of the peace agreement!" The king shouted back at Howl, obviously unperturbed.

"It's not for you to decide!"

"Neither is it for you! It's up to Lady Sophie!"

Sophie broke into the room startling all four men. The office was an absolute mess. Wallpaper had been ripped from the walls, pillow stuffing was flying about in the air, tables were over turned and chairs smashed to bits. Howl had an enormous dresser in his hands. He looked as though he was about to chuck it at the King, who was currently taking refuge behind the shambles of a table. In a corner Prince Justin sat sobbing and Barimus stood next to him patting his shoulder.

"Decide what?" Sophie demanded in fury, having taken in the whole room.

Howl's attention snapped to her and his anger deflated to surprise. Then it renewed with vigor and the wizard turned and threw the dressed at the wall with a furious snarl. It splintered into hundreds of pieces.

"Howl!" Sophie cried in dismay, "Behave yourself!"

"Tell her, oh lord of Ingary!" Howl sneered mockingly at the King who appeared rather unsure of himself now that Sophie stood in the doorway.

"Tell me what?"

The King recovered himself quickly, but still retained his look of consternation.

"Lady Sophie, that under the terms of Suliman's will she has named both you and Wizard Howl as her successors to the position of Royal Wizard. Ambassador Varra has made it very clear that under no certain terms will his country abide by such a strong magical presence in Ingary in light of its current track record for military belligerence. He has informed me that such an act would threaten the security of his country, which is already weak in the realm of magic, and therefore must be amended. A political _liaison_ has been suggested in order to balance power and create ties of kinship that will further prevent war."

"What do you mean liaison?" Sophie demanded.

"The King of Tyrn has asked me for you hand in marriage, Lady Sophie."

Sophie was floored. Suddenly she understood the star-struck look in Walden's eyes.

"What?" She exclaimed.

"Those are the terms of the peace agreement. If they are not met, then we are at war again."

"You have no right to ask her to do this," Howl had recovered after a moment of exhaustion.

The raven-haired man's face was alive with anger Sophie had never before seen in him. The king turned back to Howl, his reddish moustache bristling in rage.

"You forget yourself, wizard Howl! I am the King of Ingary and I can bloody-well do what I want if it is in the best interests of the kingdom!"

"Wizard Howl has already asked for my hand in marriage and I have already consented!" Sophie yelled back at the King, her eyes flashing in anger, "He has every right to a say in this matter."

The king looked absolutely flabbergasted at this fact, "I had no idea… I would have protested more strongly had I known. I… But the peace treaty?" The king cast about for something to convince Sophie.

"Come, Howl. We're leaving," Sophie's cold voice rang out in the room high and clear. The exhausted wizard wordlessly obeyed. She turned to follow him, but both Barimus and the King called after her.

"But Lady Sophie! What say you to the terms?"

The King of Ingary asked again, desperation coloring his voice. She turned and struck wizard Suliman's staff on the floor. Everyone in the room jumped at the sound. She gave him a withering look that let him know exactly what she though of the terms. But Sophie truly saw the King in that moment for the first time.

King Ferdinand of Ingary was a strong tall man in excellent form with great bushes of rusty hair and a matching moustache. But now the man she saw before her was barely on his feet, all the vitality gone from him. Dark circles lined his eyes and his face was pinched with worry and grief. Sophie realized that it was not his fault; the ruler of Ingary was hardly more than a child himself. Her intuition told her in that moment that Suliman had coddled him too much, making many decisions for him.

Holding Suliman's staff in her hand, she felt the weight of combined fears of the entire country settle upon her shoulders. For an inkling of a moment she knew how the Royal Witch must have felt. For some reason that reminded her of the parched plains of suffering she had seen in the darkest corners of the otherworld. She knew that those lights represented real people, people whose lives now depended on a cruel choice she was being forced to make.

This was Varra's doing.

"Sophie," Howl's gentle voice brought her out of her thoughts, "Please, Sophie, let's go."

"You will have my answer in three day," Sophie told no one in particular, then turned and stalked off down the hallway.

xXx

Sophie's thoughts were full of fire and brimstone as she strode through the castle, a silent Howl easily keeping pace beside her. Frightened servants and courtiers scurried aside as doors flew open before the couple by the hand of invisibles forces. With the slamming of each door Sophie's worries consumed a bit more of her anger, leaving behind only uncertainty. Through a window she could see that Suliman's pyre still burning brightly. Sophie couldn't bring herself to curse the late woman even in light of the predicament into which the witch had delivered them.

Once outside on the castle steps, free before the night sky, Sophie threw herself into Howl's arms and the two of them shot into the sky like a great winged bird. Sophie had no idea where they were going and she was sure Howl didn't either. It didn't matter. They were together and for the moment everything was right. The pair clung to one another and sailed through the heavens. Some time later they fell to the earth like a shooting star, their magic delivering them safely into a field of soft grasses above the capital.

They lay in each other's arms staring at the stars in the sky for some time, until golden dawn began to color the eastern horizon.

"What will you do, Sophie?" Howl's voice was soft and fragile, as though he could not stand to speak.

Sophie did not answer right away. She did not want to think at the moment, only to be held by the one she loved.

"I am your wife and you are my husband. We don't need a ceremony to make that anymore real in this world," Sophie assumed had answered wisely because Howl swept her up into his arms and delivered her into one of their timeless embraces.

"Let's run," He whispered wildly into her hair, almost crushing the air from her as he hugged her too him fiercely, "We'll uproot the castle and go far away where no one has ever heard of us."

It sounded like a wonderful idea and for a moment Sophie almost agreed. But again the great plain of suffering reared before her eyes, thousands of tiny red lights twisting in agony.

"We can't. We have a responsibility," She whispered into his hair as she kissed his neck tenderly.

"Damn our responsibility, damn wizard Suliman, and damn Ingary if it takes you from me!" The raven-haired sorcerer whispered fiercely.

"You won't. I love you and I will be with you always," Sophie replied with such conviction that Howl must have believed her, because he replied by kissing her so ardently that she lost all sense of direction.


	5. Chapter 5: Queen of Hearts

**Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga**

**Chapter 5: Queen of Hearts**

Sophie woke to the familiar sound of chimes and the faint smell of roses and hyacinth. They were home again.

_Our home_, Sophie thought to herself with a smile.

She could feel the warmth of Howl's bare chest against her back. His arm followed the curve of her waist, holding her to him. His other arm was folded under her head, pillowing her neck. The gentle in and out of his breath tickled the hairs on the back of her neck and she smiled in spite of herself.

But her mind turned to more serious things. The late morning sun that filtered through the window mean that they had three days to give an answer to the terms of the treaty. Sophie smoldered angrily and resolutely refused to be used as a bargaining chip.

"You're thinking awfully hard for so early in the morning. Planning your escape?" The familiar voice tickled the back of her neck. She giggled and squirmed in a playful but futile attempt to escape.

"Good morning, Mr. Wizard," Sophie murmured, cuddling back into him.

"Good morning, Mrs. Witch," His husky voice turned her heart to fire and she rolled over to kiss him soundly.

"Ah, what a wonderful way to wake up in the morning," Howl smiled as she looked down at him. His blearily blue eyes stared up at her lovingly, the tousled black strands of his hair spread out on his pillow. The liquid blue of his eyes darkened slightly and his smooth brow furrowed for a moment.

"In all seriousness, what were you thinking about?"

Sophie settled into the crook of his arm, and wiggled till she was comfortable.

"Three days," She spoke sadly and there was no need for explanation.

"I've been thinking about how to get us out of this mess and I have an idea," Howl spoke after a moment of silence.

"What?" Sophie rolled over onto her stomach and looked up into his eyes, which were winking mischievously.

"From what you've told me Walden absolutely believe the stories he's heard about us, right?"

"Yes."

"You're a witch, yes?"

"I think so," Sophie replied seriously and Howl chuckled.

"Just say yes, Sophie."

"Alright… I mean yes."

"What do witches and wizards do?"

"Use magic?"

"Beside that," Howl eyed her hungrily and licked his lips.

"Normal people do that too," She snickered, giving him a smoldering look.

"No, silly! What do wicked witches and wizards do?"

Sophie stared at him, taking in his look as his meaning finally dawned on her.

"They eat hearts!"

xXx

Wizard Howl did his best to look heartbroken as he and Sophie returned to the castle three days later. He wore all black and so did Sophie. Acting for all the world that he wanted to throw himself from the roof of the palace, Howl dutifully presented the silver-haired witch to the King of Ingary, who all but did a tap dance with relief. After delivering a star-studded performance of last good-byes, Howl went to sit next to the sobbing Justin and made good with a similar set of water-works. Apparently the golden haired prince had not moved from the spot that he discovered Lady Sophie would never be his.

_Fat chance_. Howl thought to himself.

His mind turned to thoughts of gigantic cakes and thousands of roses and it was all he could do to contain himself. Howl diverted the energy off his glee into his performance, plunging the dim room into darkness and creating a green mist on the floor.

_Don't over do it, Howl_. Sophie's voice reached his mind, as the King swept her from the room into an antechamber. He sent back an image of himself moldering in the corner next to a very nervous Justin.

The king returned swiftly and stood in front of Howl delivering a sparkling speech about how proud he was of the wizard's self sacrifice and blah, blah blah.

Howl tuned it out completely and was listening to the sounds from the antechamber. Five minutes passed and the King was still spouting patriotic poetry, in spite of the fact that Howl had obviously ceased crying. The tall wizard jumped from the chair, startling the King. This time Howl actually did dance gleefully next to the door as he heard the tell-tale sounds of scuffling and a distant shriek of horror.

"Help!" King Walden of Tyrn cried as he came tearing into the room white as a sheet. The young monarch nearly climbed the King of Ingary in his terror. Shortly after him came Sophie, doing her best to look emotionally bruised and rejected.

"I cannot marry her, King of Ingary!" Walden screeched.

"What?" The other king cried in horror, "But what about the treaty?"

"You can have your blasted treaty; just get that thing away from me!" Walden seemed to relax as Sophie went to stand beside Howl, managing to look extremely hungry.

Sensing there was no time to loose, the King of Ingary whipped out the treaties from within a large golden box that sat on his desk and dipped a fresh pen. Walden signed every scrap of paper put before him as though his life depended on it. He even left his signature on the desk once they had run out of treaty to sign. Straightening, Walden pushed open the doors to the hallway outside and stomped down the passage, nearly knocking over ambassador Varra as he came around the corner looked as though he had come to gloat.

"There!" Walden spoke heatedly to the surprised wizard, "Your treaties are signed, but I'll not lay a single finger on that monster! Do you know what they do on their wedding days?"

"What!" Varra screamed, taking hold of the young king and shaking him.

"I said I signed the treaties you've been going on about! But I'm not marrying the witch!"

"You fool. Do you realize what you've done?"

"Oh, he knows what he's done," Howl laughed wickedly as he placed his arm around Sophie's shoulders.

"You!" Varra snarled, half throwing young Walden down the hall, "This is all you fault. The both of you!"

The hall around Varra began to darken as did the ambassador himself. It was as though he were absorbing all the light from the surrounding areas.

"I would step back into the office, your Majesty," Howl told the rusty haired monarch, "Lock the door and do not open it for anyone but us."

The King took one look at what Ambassador Varra had become and disappeared, the door slammed and the lock clicked audibly. Meanwhile, the young king was looking at his advisor in horror.

"Run Walden!"

Sophie called and the white-faced ruler scrambled to his feet, tearing off calling for help. But Varra had no care for him any longer, if the thing that stood before them could still be called Varra. After a moment even its human shape had dissolved leaving behind a familiar, shuddering column of nothing.

Sophie realized that the red-haired wizard had been consumed by a piece of the Dark. She shuddered to think that this might have been her fate. However, this being was a mere shadow of the thing she had met and left behind in the otherworld, a wisp of despair that had somehow eaten away the wizard's mind. The ambassador was not the root of the evil thing, although he had willingly given it purchase in this world. It had given him strength enough to overpower a weakened Suliman. There could be more of them out there and the threat they posed could not be ignored. But she and Howl had come prepared.

"Ready?" Howl asked, taking her hand as he came to stand by her side she nodded firmly.

Just at the thing before them let out a blood-curdling shriek and rushed forward the witch and wizard erupted into a bright nimbus of white light. Together they lifted their hands before them and Suliman's staff materialized between their palms. The butt of the shaft hit the floor as a hammer would an anvil and the clear metallic tone echoed through the hall. The piece of Dark rooted in place.

Shrieking and thrashing about, it took great handfuls of itself and lobbing the vile ooze at Howl and Sophie. The attacks flared up in purple-blue fire, turning to ash in the wind of their power. With a flick of his hand, Howl tossed a shard of glass from the silver box onto the floor. It landed unbroken just in front of the silver-shod butt of the Suliman's staff.

Again the pair lifted the magic stick and let it fall. Another clear metal tone echoed through the hall. The dark surface of the shard suddenly cleared, displaying the flickering red lights of the otherworld. Suddenly, the walls on either side of the Dark flicked and turned to large mirrors. Beyond the filmy panes a vast scorched plain of suffering stretch endlessly beneath a starless ruddy-indigo sky.

_NO!_ Screeched the Dark as it realized what lay beyond those mirrors.

The staff fell once more, but this time the end pierced the shard before them, cracking it in two. The mirrors on either side of the Dark shattered, piercing the daemon with thousands of tiny shards of light.

For a moment Time stood still.

In between time Sophie and Howl could feel the vacuous pull of the scorched plains plucking at their heats and souls, but they held fast to Suliman's staff. Moaning and shrieking in its thousand metallic voices, the Dark was dragged back into the realm beyond the mirrors.

_There will be others!_ It screeched ominously.

And Time returned.

In the fraction of a second that followed, the splintered shards of the mirrors snapped back into place and were whole once more. Where a piece of the Dark had stood, the real Ambassador Varra lay crumpled on the floor muttering madly.

Sophie and Howl gazed at the broken wizard and knew that he no longer had any power. The Dark had robbed him of his magic. For a moment the flickering otherwind lingered then vanished with the fire around them. Howl let go of Suliman's staff and picked up the two shards of the banishing mirror. They had cleared and were now simply bits of glass. Howl returned them to his pocket as the vast panes on the walls vanished. Turning, he knocked on the King's door.

"It's alright, your Majesty. You can come out now," He and Justin opened the door a crack and peered out.

"Is it gone?"

"Yes, but ambassador Varra is still here," Howl replied mildly, "You may want a doctor to look to him. I'm afraid he's not right in the head."

The King emerged rather shakily, followed by Prince Justin of Marda.

"You may want Wizard Barimus to come by. As the Royal Sorcerer he should have a hand in dealing with this."

"What, but aren't you the royal wizard?" The king asked foggily.

"No, Barimus is the royal wizard now," Howl stated firmly, a fey look in his eyes.

"Yes, Barimus is royal wizard now," The king repeated firmly.

"Sophie and I are going now. I would not speak to Bariums about the magic you have seen here," Howl also stated firmly.

"No, I won't speak of what has happened here. But, you had better go," The King also stated firmly, "Barimus and I will explain things to the King of Tyrn."

"Goodbye, King of Ingary," Howl smiled brightly.

"Goodbye, wizard Howl," the king replied absently.

As they left the castle Sophie turned to regard the raven-haired wizard, "Howl! Did you just use magic on the King of Ingary?"

"Let's call it gentle persuasion," He winked at her mischievously.

"I'm glad you persuaded him to accepted Barimus as the new royal wizard."

"Suliman would not be pleased with me for slithering out of this obligation. But I would make a horrible Royal Wizard; I can't seem to keep my temper with that ruddy King. Besides, Barimus is a damn good wizard with an excellent head on his shoulders. He'll make a fine advisor to the King. Besides, if we ended up shackled with the position we wouldn't be able to go on our honeymoon."

"Honeymoon?" Sophie asked sharply as they descended the royal stairs.

"Don't you remember? We agreed on a medium sized wedding didn't we?"

xXx

The medium sized wedding turned out to be a big affair in a small space.

The castle lazily circled the sky above Chipping Market, its thousands of colorful garlands and pinwheels flashing and spinning in the gentle breeze. Just as Howl had predicted, the beautiful summer day was perfect. White fluffy clouds hung high overhead in the azure sky and the sun sparkled merrily.

The raven-haired wizard had never been more handsome, although his radiant appearance had nothing to do with any glamour or bit of magic. He wore a sapphire silk shirt trimmed in elegant silver lace that Sophie had made for him by hand, which was a tradition in Market Chipping. Around his waist was a yellow sash that matched the canary color of her dress, which she insisted remained a simple affair. Its one vanity was the full skirt and square neckline, which Howl said framed her delicate shoulders beautifully. He had insisted that she wear his sapphire necklace, and it was the first time she had even seen him take it off.

In spite of the crowd, the wedding ceremony remained a simple affair at Sophie's behest.

Standing on a terrace twisted with climbing roses that Howl had constructed just for the wedding, the two exchanged their vows. Calcifer hovered above them, sparkling silver and blue. Sophie had refused to wear a veil, as was the custom in Kingsbury, because she felt it was vain. Instead, at the beginning of the vows, Howl had tenderly tied a blue ribbon into her hair. They exchanged simple silver bands to signify the linking of their hearts, although they already wore matching enchanted rings that linked them in magic. When they kissed the little fire daemon exploded in size and a barrage of blue and yellow fireworks burst from the flame, showering the cheering crowd with shimmering sparks.

Decorated for the reception, every inch of the castle's interior was festooned with yellow and blue roses and the spaces left behind were crammed with mouth-watering foods and treats. The stairs and hallway leading up to the second story were bulging with gifts covered in fancy wrapping. Markl had been a wonderful dear about helping with the guests; answering the door all day and carrying off gifts that might have squashed a smaller boy. Sophie had made a blue silk shirt for the boy as well. The little blond apprentice beamed with pride at being dressed similar to his master.

Sophie's sister Lettie, now a proud mother, had catered the entire affair in spite of her newborn child. The baby was a little thing of joy and her whole family spent a great deal of time fussing over him at the reception after the ceremony. The pretty blonde woman had decorated the huge blue cake by herself, insisting it was her sisterly duty. Music and laughter filled every available space and the hundreds of guests, mostly Howl's friends and acquaintances, shook their hands and offered their blessings.

The silver-haired witch was quite shy of all the many dignitaries and fancy courtiers, but every so often she greeting someone she knew. Lovely little Mrs. Goose had even come to give her blessings, accompanied by a beet-red Jenny. Sophie would have withdrawn tactfully had it not been for Howl, who seemed to shine with pride every time he announced her as his bride. So many people showed up that the party was forced to spill over into the courtyard of the Hatter's shop by way of the door beneath the stairs. People frequently sent word that there was a marvelous time being had there as well.

The King could not attend; however, he sent his brother Prince Justin and Royal Wizard Barimus instead. Barimus turned out to be the apprentice that Suliman had taken on directly before Howl. The blond wizard had the same jovial character that Howl displayed before company. Like his apprentice brother, Barimus sparkled when he laughed, and his warm brown eyes had many of the single ladies in a titter. Sophie had an inkling that Howl's stint of blond hair might have come of jealousy associated with the attention his older apprentice brother received.

At first Sophie thought sending Justin to the wedding was cruel on the part of the king of Ingary. But after seeing the intent way that the blond-haired Prince was conversing with her younger sister Martha, her fears dissolved.

"Oh, what a lovely bride," The old witch murmured every time she caught sight of Sophie, which almost brought tears to the silver-haired woman's eyes.

The Mrs. Fairfax and the former witch of the wastes were having a wonderful time together. They sat on the veranda chatting together about absolutely nothing as Heen cowered under the old witch's chair. That cheered Sophie a great deal, since she was a bit guilty about arranging for Granny Witch and Markl to spend some time with Mrs. Fairfax so that she and Howl could have the castle to themselves for their honeymoon.

Sometime after the eating of the cake, Sophie had been seized away from Howl by her sisters, who demanded some face time with the new bride. Settling onto one of the huge piles of cushions strewn around the garden, she had a wonderful time catching up with all the village gossip as they passed around the new baby.

Food consumed, cake eaten, sparkling wine drunk to the last drop, none the less, the party continued into the evening under a spectacular sunset. Calcifer outdid his earlier pyrotechnic display and dazzled the guests with plums of pink, green, and purple; then awed them with booming explosions of shimmering blue and yellow.

Markl, who most likely felt a quiet twinge of jealousy over having to share his home with so many strangers, climbed sleepily into her lap after having lost interest in Calcifer's fireworks. Sophie smiled down at the little boy, cuddling him to her. She caught the knowing look that Lettie was giving her as she held her baby. Her blonde sister leaned back against her husband, who was chatting with someone's cousin, and gave Sophie a knowing wink. Sophie blushed a ruddy red and made a froggish face at her sister, hugging Markl in such a way that made it clear she was quite happy with what she already had.

Her attention drifted away from her step-mother's conversation and she sought for Howl in the crowd of people. Standing with Markl in her arms, she passed around a bushel of kisses and then excused herself. Depositing Markl with Granny Witch, the silver-haired woman managed to snag a piece of cake and toss it into the hearth, where a very tired Calcifer gobbled it up greedily. She was stopped on several occasions by cheerful guests wishing to bid her goodnight, which she received graciously all the while searching for Howl.

She and Howl had expanded the Castle significantly after it had taken to the air. There were many sitting rooms, workshops, and libraries that would come and go as they needed. They had opened up all of these hidden chambers to accommodate the guests. Sophie had no trouble seeking her husband in the maze of rooms. Like the charms in Howl's bedroom, which pointed to distant places telling of ominous things, her heart pointed a direct path to the wizard who wore her ring. From a distance she caught sight of Barimus and Howl leaning against opposite sides of a balcony at the prow of the castle.

They were mirror opposites, both in posture and in color. Barimus, with his merry brown eyes and blond hair, wore red, while Howl, with his liquid blue eyes and raven mane, wore blue. Both their postures were defensive, and although the royal wizard's expression was earnest, Howl was obviously displeased. He caught sight of her immediately, in spite of the distance between them. He flashed a look at his apprentice brother that gave no mistake that their conversation had ended.

"What are you two brooding over?" Sophie asked cheerfully.

Barimus recovered quickly, giving her a laugh and a wickedly charming smile, "I was just telling Howl what a lucky wizard he is. If you weren't spoken for I might have tried to steal your heart."

The blond-wizard's tone was friendly, although the fey look in his eyes belied the fact that he was trying to provoke Howl. Apparently there was still a rivalry between them. From the dangerous sparkle in her husband's eyes Sophie could tell that Barimus was having an effect. Thinking quickly, the silver-haired woman gave a loud hiccup and wrapped her arms around her husband's head, hugging his face into her bosom.

"You can't have me, Barimus!" She declared loudly and hiccupped again, pretending to be drunk, "Howl's already eaten my heart, so you're out of luck!"

She would have given anything to see the look on Howl's face at that moment, because Barimus blushed a furious shade of red. Swaying drunkenly, Sophie let Howl catch her then seized his face and kissed him soundly. The blond wizard stood and mumbled several good wished then retreated from the balcony. She hiccupped again loudly for good measure, and then craned her neck to make sure the Wizard had truly gone. With a flick of her head the door to the balcony closed and she regarded her husband, who was staring up at her in utter shock.

"You looked like you needed rescuing, dear husband."

Howl blinked at her, realizing she wasn't drunk. He dropped his face back onto her chest with a gusty sigh, hugging her tightly.

"Are they gone yet?" He murmured into her dress.

"You're the one who wanted a big wedding," She chuckled, smoothing his hair.

"So they're still out there?"

"A few… What was Barimus prodding you about?"

"Let's not spoil our evening, dear heart," Howl spoke sadly, still buried in her dress. Her heart sank for a moment; whatever it was, it was more bad news. Sophie hugged him to her once more, enjoying the faint floral smell of his hair. Some things never change. She smiled to herself and kissed the top of the wizard's head.

"Guess what?" Howl chirped mischievously, his mercurial mood transforming from gloom to glee. Sophie glanced down at him and had to stifle a laugh at the sight of nothing but his great blue eyes looking up at her.

"What?"

In way of an answer he whisked her into his arms and shot off of the balcony and up into the air like a comet. Sophie squealed in joy and they gazed down at the world, circling the castle at a distance. It seemed strange to see their home from the outside, it was so calm and peaceful within she often forgot that they were suspended in air. Sophie wrapped her arms around Howl's neck and gazed out over the ocean in the distance, listening to the wind as it whistled past them.

The crisp evening air plucked at her hair and clothes, although she did not feel the chill. Far below she could see the lights of Chipping Market clustered together like a merry basket of fruit. They were so small and distant; it was almost as though they hardly existed. Turing her eyes to the stars above, she watched them twinkle in the vast indigo heaven and suddenly one of the distant diamonds trembled and fell to earth. Another omen, Sophie's thoughts were troubled for a moment.

Would there be no happily ever after for them, if such things do indeed exist? The kiss that followed dissolved all her melancholy thoughts, and could have made the very stars blush and turn away.

xXx

The witch and wizard Howl enjoyed a fantastic honeymoon in spite of a brief moment of trouble on their wedding day.

Together they traveled a starry road to many fantastic distant places. Snowcapped mountain cities full of whipping banners scrawled with colorful prayers gave way to vast sandy plains where oases sprouted great cities with minarets and golden domes. Each stop of the way Howl insisted that they go and browse shops and rub elbows with local sorcerers.

"It's good for business," He insisted, although the pile of books he had just purchased convinced her otherwise, "Plus it's good for you to meet other sorcerers."

Much of their time was spent with magic. Howl had taken her education very seriously, although he was never overbearing or condescending in his lessons. The raven-haired wizard was an excellent teacher, often leaving her to study on her own and never forcing his opinion on her unless she asked.

Sophie had left the otherworld with a spotty ability to control her magic. Half the time she could wield it with surprising ease, accomplishing difficult spells that normally taxed accomplished magicians. Other times she couldn't manage to light the wick of a candle. Sophie was often awed by the boundless patience with which Howl met her frustration. He humored her rare temper tantrums with a grace that seemed all too familiar. However, not all of their time was spent on magic; but it is not polite to speak of such marital things.

The first three days of their honeymoon was spent opening all their wedding gifts. Rather, Sophie spent them watching a gleeful Howl tear open presents. As her husband reverted to childhood, she dutifully made a list of who had sent what so she could send thank you notes. As they sat in the kitchen of their castle, sunlight streaming in through the windows, she watched a laughing Howl tinker with strange bobbles all the while feeding happy Calcifer scraps of pretty colored paper and ribbon. She doubted there had even been a happier wizard and that fact made her heart burn merrily.

Howl had grown a great deal since she had returned his heart. He had actually helped her clean up the castle after the wedding; although he mostly made use of magic and a hungry Calcifer rather than good old fashioned elbow grease. In spite of his bouts of maturity, the wizard was still prone to violent mood swings and childish fits. He refused to open gifts from people he felt had recently snubbed him. But instead of disposing of them, he insisted Sophie open them instead. Howl could be quite greedy sometimes.

One of such gifts had come from Howl's uncle. The disappointment on his face had been plain when he received his uncle's response to their wedding invitation. The letter had contained only a single sentence saying he would be unable to attend the wedding.

A small, unadorned package had arrived on the day of the wedding and it was the very last present to be opened. It had sat on the kitchen table for nearly a week after the rest of the gifts had been opened. Howl glowered at it from time to time. That morning as Sophie made breakfast she watched her husband fiddle with it angrily.

"You do it," Howl grumbled petulantly, pushing the small box across the table at her after she had placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him.

Turning away the raven-haired wizard crossed his arms sulkily, ignoring his meal. Normally she might have scolded him for his mood. But Sophie instinctively understood that there was more to Howl's anger with his uncle than the fact that he had not come to their wedding.

She removed the lid of the package exposing a rosewood box. The small receptacle rested on tiny clawed feet that clutched small sapphire jewels. On the lid were several interlocking tiles of ebony and mother of pearl onto which had been inlaid twisting silver lines and gold filigrees. A single tile was missing from the middle. She tried to open it but the top would not budge.

Howl's face had gone white with anger as soon as he caught sight of the box. It passed quickly as Calcifer darted over to stare down at the gift.

"It's a puzzle box," the flame noted curiously.

"Hand it to me, would you Sophie?" Howl asked in a quiet voice. She obliged and the raven-haired wizard deftly slid the tiles about. He aligned the silver and gold filigrees so that a heart engulfed in flame emerged from the shape of the pattern.

"Not much of a puzzle, is it?" Cal crackled mildly.

"It was my mother's. I spent a great deal of my childhood fiddling with it before I met Cal," Howl muttered.

This was the first time he had ever mentioned his real parents. Wordlessly, Howl handed it back to her and she opened it carefully. Inside was a pair of sapphire earrings and an emerald pendant, both of which were a perfect mirror of the jewels Howl wore consistently. He took the emerald pendent and slipped it over his head. He had insisted that Sophie continue to wear his sapphire necklace after their wedding. He wouldn't say why but winked at her instead.

"Here, let me help you put these on," Howl murmured with tender sadness. Taking up the sapphire jewels, he gently attached them to Sophie's earlobes. Regarding her with veiled eyes, the wizard smiled softly, "They suite you."

"Howl?" Cal peeped softly.

Her husband let out a rough sigh and rubbed his face, revealing a melancholy smile.

The wizard touched the green jewels at his ears then dropped his hand to the pendent around his neck.

"These were my father's. The blue one's you wear were my mothers. They are talismans that have been passed down through my family from generation to generation. My mother left the sapphire necklace with me when I was barely a year old. Shortly after, she and my father gave their lives to stop a war that was beyond their power."

It was at times like these that Sophie realized how little she knew about Howl. Suddenly his feelings toward war and politics made much more sense. She reached over and took his hands in her own, squeezing them encouragingly. He smiled weakly at her, but continued his story.

"After they were gone my Uncle kept these for me until he thought I was ready to have them again. After I dropped out of the academy he stopped speaking to me. I never expected to see them again. Damn cheeky of Uncle Agyrus to send these," Howl spoke in irritation, doing a poor job of concealing how much the gifts were upsetting him.

"This is just like him to send bad memories as gifts when I would have simply settled for a visit."

The knock at the front door was so unexpected that Calcifer singed the kitchen table. Not a single person had knocked on the door for almost two weeks. The wizard Howl had become quite horrible while making it clear to at their various storefronts they would be gone for a solid month, and were not to be disturbed.

"Kingsbury door," Calcifer chirped loudly, then cowed at the expression on Howl's face, retreating quickly to the fireplace.

"Ignore it," the wizard growled and began to devour his breakfast with gusto. Howl brightened in an instant and gave Sophie a dazzling smile, casting off his previous mood like a dirty shirt.

"So, my dear Mrs. Howl, what would you like to do today?"

The bright look in his eyes and his jovial smile made her almost convinced her that nothing had happened.

xXx

That afternoon, she led Howl on a rugged trek up a glacier carved mountain far north of Tyrn that was rumored to be magic. When she was young her father had told her stories of the Great Spirit gate at the top of the mountain that was rumored to make wished come true. Calcifer had flown the castle most of the way up the mountain, braving the gusts of ice and air at Sophie's behest.

The day was bright and clear, but the wind was wickedly powerful. They emerged from the castle muffled from head to toe in heavy furs; she made Howl walk the majority of the journey, convincing him that using their feet would make the magic of their wishes even stronger. The two of them spent the afternoon throwing good wishes scrawled on golden pieces of paper tied to rocks through the vast curved portal for everyone they could think of. Howl had even thrown a wish for his uncle. When they had run out of paper they threw snowballs, laughing and shrieking as they nearly froze off their fingers.

Calcifer had not attended, muttering that it was hard enough to keep the castle from being smashed to bits by the wind, adding moodily that he hated snow even more than rain.

Late that night, Sophie had crept downstairs after leaving a thoroughly asleep Howl in their room upstairs. She eyed Calcifer carefully making sure the fire was deep asleep. She tiptoed down to the front door and turned the knob to the Kingsbury door. Slipping outside, she glanced around the empty street.

All seemed well, the dark streets were peaceful and the rows of houses on either side of the street were dark. All was still and complacent. However, at her feet was a cream colored letter sealed with a purple ribbon and red wax. The seal in the wax glimmered with magic in her othersight and Sophie knew the letter was from Barimus. Picking it up she turned it over and saw it was addressed to Howl. She stared at the envelope for a long while and against her better judgment she opened it. Normally the seal would not have given way to anyone but the person for which the letter was intended. This did not do much to stem her guilt as she began to read.

_Dearest Howl…_

It began in a very personal tone, making Sophie feel even worse for sticking her long nose where it did not belong. She couldn't help but note what excellent penmanship Barimus had, but dismissed the silly thought.

_I hope you will forgive my rude behavior at your wedding. I had no right to darken the most happiest of your days with worldly troubles. _

_I do not begrudge you the fact that you have let the Royal Wizard position fall to me in spite of dear Suliman's wishes. I dare say that I think it is one of the most mature decisions you have made in a long time. Nor can I hide the jealousy I felt over the favoritism our late master showed by appointing you as heir to the position of Royal Sorcerer. Nor can I ignore the fact that you, a renegade sorcerer, have far surpassed my skill in magic in spite of your lack of training._

_Although ambassador Varra is quite mad, he confessed on multiple occasions to having conspired in a plot to destroy both Ingary and Marda. The fact that he was responsible for poisoning our master was a particularly cruel revelation I wish I could have come to know by softer means. That was particularly unkind of you to leave for me to discover._

_I am not so angry with you that I will refuse to inform you of the successful treaty negotiations between Ingary, Marda, and Tyrn. I managed to calm poor King Walden, who remains convinced that the witches and wizards of Ingary eat hearts. Although I am amused by the young ruler's innocence in the matters of wizards, I do not appreciate being forced to clean up after your messes as I once did during our apprenticeship._

_I am being rude again but you have left me at a loss. There is more afoot here than the greed of a courtier and his lust for power. I must say that I was _not _amused to find that you had used a forgetful spell and words of persuasion on King Ferdinand. I do not have to remind you that that is quite an offense, but one I will let pass. I was able to gain some insight into what transpired in the hallway that day and I am offended that you did not offer me council on the matter. You keep to many secrets._

_Regardless, I am writing you this letter because I have received a word from your esteemed Uncle, Wizard Agyrus the Wall Maker, hero of the Mage Wars of old. He has informed me that a Reckoning is planned to take place in Ingary. You should know that he has requested that I send word to you about his arrival on the next full moon. For the sake of your family I hope you will attend._

_I wish you and Sophie many happy blessings. I remain your brother in magic as always._

_Barimus._

Having finished reading the letter, Sophie felt guiltier than ever and far more confused than before she had opened the missive. But that didn't prevent an outburst of petulant rage. It was her honeymoon, and she didn't want to have to deal with cranky wizards, doddering kings, and ominous meetings!

_Why can't the world leave us alone? _

But Sophie's anger cooled as she realized the importance of this matter. Just who was Howl's uncle? The Mage Wars must have been the battle in which Howl's parents died. Wizard Agyrus would arrive in two days. That meant they would have to come home from their honeymoon early.

Sophie often longed for the simple days where her greatest challenge was finding the right trimmings to sew onto the hats in her family shop. At moments like these she hated magic, hated the world for all its troubles, and hated the unyielding sense of responsibility that made her feel obligated to try and solve them. Turning, she took the letter back inside and crept up to the fireplace.

"Cal?" She whispered gently as the little flame lifted its rosy head from the ashes in the grate.

"Yeah, Sophie?" He mumbled sleepily, blinking his dear little eyes.

"I have a favor to ask," The guilt in her voice brought the fire daemon to full attention.

"Anything for you, Sophie. What's up?" He regarded her with large worried eyes as she caught wind of her troubled state.

"I need you to seal this letter and make sure the magic on it indicates it hasn't been opened."

She hated herself for being sneaky, but something in the desperate nature of her plea made the fire daemon decide to acquiesce to her request. He reached out one of his thin arms and touched the wax seal, it snapped back onto the parchment as though it had never been opened.

"Thank you, Calcifer," She mumbled and placed the letter on the table. Turning she went back down the stairs and stood in front of the front door, fiddling with one of her earrings. But her mind was made up.

"Where are you going, Sophie?" Cal's worried voice carried down to her a little too loud for her liking.

"I won't be long. If Howl wakes up and asks where I went, tell him I had a bad dream and I needed to check something."

The half-lie almost stuck in her throat as she reached out and turned the dial to black, disappearing into the otherworld before Calcifer could object.

xXx

She and Howl had gone into the otherworld a few times since the cursed mirror had shattered, but it still made her nervous. She knew that the scorched plain was far away from this gentle place of light, kept at bay somehow by a great dull wall that the Dark apparently could not pass. Still, the fact that it was out there terrified her still.

Sophie had long since learned from Howl how to fly on silver wings in the veiled indigo sky that loomed high above the stars below. For a moment the breathless feeling of freedom washed away all of her fear and worry, leaving her heart to soar with dizzy exhilaration through the vastness of the othersky. She understood in that endless place the stories Howl told her of wizards who had refused to throw off their spirit forms, never returning from this place of mystery. But a distant peal of soundless greeting drew her from her dreaming.

Sophie could see a shape in the distant sky; a great red bird soared out of the gloom towards her. She reared back for a moment trying to anticipate the intentions of the stranger, but as he drew near she recognized Barimus' face.

_I knew to expect someone, but I was not sure it would be Howl._ The great red bird spoke as it back-winged, hovering before her with troubled eyes.

_I am not pleased to be here, Barimus. Why are you bothering us? _Sophie ruffled her shining silver feathers in irritation.

_I apologize, Lady Sophie_._ It is necessity that brings me here. Howl keeps secrets that he should not horde. A dark time is coming for all wizardry and we cannot afford to stand divided_.

Sophie's hackles rose at the mention of the word Dark and Barimus flinched.

_By now you should be well aware that you cannot expect anything from Howl._ Sophie replied mildly._ His methods are unusual but are always fueled by good reason._

_You think too highly of him, Sophie._ Barimus quipped in irritation, but continued quickly as he caught the dangerous look in her eyes.

_Howl is trying desperately to forget the past. Magic is a circle, tenuously balanced between good and evil. As of recent it has been tipped towards the ill._

Sophie flared her wings angrily; the blond-wizard's tone had become patronizing as though she knew nothing of magic. It was mostly true, and Sophie perhaps should not have taken offense, but she was in a bad mood. Besides, she knew very well what he was talking about. It had to do with the Dark.

_I respect you, Barmius; I have no use for wizards who talk in riddles for the sake of mystery. What do you want? Speak plainly or I shall leave._

Barimus recovered quickly and spoke in an even tone. _Howl will receive a summons to a meeting with Wizard Agyrus in Kingsbury. He must attend._

Sophie gave Barimus heavy look. _You and I both know that Howl does as he pleases, it will do you no good to demand anything from him._

Barimus returned her stare with a cunning look. _You have more power over him than you think. I have faith in your abilities, Lady Sophie_.

Sophie gave a soundless screech as she returned to her bird form. Furling her wings she shot away leaving the started wizard in the wake of her wind.

Angrily, she felt as though she was once again being used as a bargaining ship in some greater game. If Howl's uncle wanted to talk to him so badly he would have to come and seek him out himself. She had half a mind to go home and feed the letter to Calcifer. But for the moment she tried to take solace from the ocean-like serenity of the otherworld. She tasted no trouble on the otherwind at that moment and reverently prayed it would stay that way.

xXx

The front door clicked open revealing an empty doorway, letting in a gentle breeze of otherwind. Soft steps fell on the stairs and a gentle shadow began to coalesce into a woman's form. It was difficult to shake off the hold of the otherworld once back in the mortal realm. It took concentration to leave behind her spirit wings and exchange her feathers for fingers. The process invoked such a keen sense of despair that it was horribly painful.

Calcifer watched as Sophie came to sit in the couch before the fire, his round eyes wide.

"I never like watching you two go through that," He crackled softly.

"How long was I gone?" She asked in a tired voice looking at her fingers as though they were not her own.

"About three hours. Howl's still asleep. You shouldn't be flying around out there, you know. It's not a good idea."

Time moved very differently in the otherworld. Seconds were like minutes and minutes were like hours beneath the starless veil. If you stayed too long you risked the chance that your world would be gone if you did decide to return.

Standing, she stood and stared for a while at the letter, trying to decide what to do. At last she strode over and picked it up. Turning the knob on the front door back to Kingsbury, she tossed the letter out the door as though it were a dirty thing.

"Goodnight Calcifer," she murmured and crept back upstairs to the sleeping arms of her husband.

xXx

For once she managed to sleep in. And she awoke from a troubled dream to find the bed empty. Sitting bolt upright she leaped out of bed, pounding downstairs only to find the kitchen empty. Even Calcifer was gone. Cold fear seized her.

"Howl?" She called out loud.

"Sophie?" The tall wizard came around the corner of the veranda carrying a vase full of pink roses. His look of dismay was colored with a playful smile. Calcifer came whizzing in from the garden and settled into the grate.

"G'morning, Sophie!" The little fire chirped and all was right with the world.

"Oh! I was hoping you would sleep more. I was going to surprise you with breakfast. Are you alright?" His tone became concerned as he caught wind of her agitation. Setting the flowers on the table he came over to her.

"I'm fine. I just had a bad dream and when I woke up you weren't there," She hugged him to her fiercely and murmured into his shirt. He smelled like roses this morning and it filled her heart with love.

"I didn't mean to scare you, dear heart. You don't sleep in very often so I didn't want to disturb you."

"No, it's alright," She smiled brightly forgetting all her troubles in her husband warm blue eyes, "How about some orange juice with breakfast? The fruit on the tree should be ripe by now."

"Sounds delicious," Howl grinned as he reached for the frying pan, "Go get dressed and I'll start on breakfast."

Sophie's heart was soaring as she went back up stairs and quickly got dressed. Humming to herself she tied the blue ribbon from their wedding into her hair and skipped down them stairs. Blowing a kiss to her raven-haired wizard, she snatched up a basket from the sideboard and almost danced out into the garden. The silver-haired witch looked up at the oranges trying to decide how to get at them. The little fruit tree was thin and spindly, but rather tall. She had helped Markl climb the tree on various occasions, but very much doubted it would carry her weight.

She felt using her magic on simple task was frivolous, but as Howl often told her, what good was having magic if it you didn't use it? Concentrating, Sophie stepped into the air imagining there was a ladder beneath her feet. Thus, she ascended into the air rather awkwardly, a froggish look on her face. Howl could sail into the sky with more grace than a golden nightingale. But at the moment Sophie felt like a lame pigeon. With the oranges in range, she smiled to herself and began selecting the best fruit.

From her vantage point she could see down into the kitchen through the skylights Howl had put in during the expansion. She caught sight of the raven-haired wizard through heart froze in her chest. She began to sink like a stone, but willed herself back up. Looking in the skylight she saw Howl standing with Barimus' letter open in hand, the frying pan held nowhere near the flame.

His face was shielded from her view by his long bangs, but she judged from Calcifer's flickering size that Howl was very upset. The wizard crushed the letter and envelope in his hand and tossed them both into the fire daemon's waiting mouth. Sophie sank slowly to the ground, the wheels in her mind turning furiously.

"Sophie, the eggs are done!" Howl called cheerily from the kitchen. For the moment Sophie decided that she would take a clue from Howl and pretend that nothing had happened. Perhaps they could steel a few more days of bliss before the world came intruding once more.

xXx

The decision to return home came two days later as Sophie sat reading with Howl's head in her lap. The two of them lazed like cats in the sunshine of the garden on a pile of enormous cushions. Howl have a heavy sigh and Sophie put down her book to study him. The wizard was staring up at the blue sky rather intently.

"Do you think the Castle is too quiet, Sophie?"

For a moment she panicked and thought he was going to asked her if she wanted children.

"What do you mean?" She replied evasively.

"I've been thinking," here it comes Sophie trembled, "Would you mind horribly if we surprised Markl and Granny Witch with an early return?"

The silver-haired witch let out the breath she had been holding and laughed at the face her husband gave her.

"Not at all, silly wizard!"

"Good," Howl smiled guiltily, "Because I miss them so terribly that I already asked Calcifer to start flying us home."

"I think we'll have plenty of time to honeymoon even after we return back to business," Sophie replied ominously, and gave her husband a smoldering kiss to tell him just exactly what she meant.

xXx

Later that evening, as the sun was just beginning to set and the full moon rose on the horizon, Howl and Sophie knocked on Mrs. Fairfax's door. Much to Howl's delight Markl tackled his Master as they showed up on the doorstep of Mrs. Fairfax's house. Heen wheezed at them, madly circling her feet and snuffling Howl on the ground as his tale blurred happily. It was good to be back amongst family.

"Howl! Sophie! You're back early!" The little blond boy squealed with delight as Sophie scooped him up into her arms off of the prone wizard, who feigned a swoon

"We missed you too much to go a second more without you," Sophie laughed happily as she squeezed him hard. The little boy was not so little anymore and had apparently begun a growth spurt. Where once he had barely come to her stomach, the apprentice had gained about and inch and almost reached her waist.

"My, you've gotten bigger, Markl! What has Mrs. Fairfax been feeding you?"

"She puts honey on everything, Sophie. She keeps bees," the little boy paused to look down at his master on the floor, "Are you alright Howl? I didn't flatten you did I?"

Sophie put Markl down and the little boy crept over the poke his master, who sat up with a playful shout and seize the little boy only to tickle him mercilessly.

"Who is it, dear?" Mrs. Fairfax called over the shrieking and giggling as she peered around a doorframe from a distant room. The look of surprise on the sunny woman's face melted to delight and Martha's dark head appeared as the little girl craned to look over her master's shoulder.

"We're back early!" Sophie called as she was nearly knocked off her feet by Martha.

"Oh, so good to see you too," Mrs. Fairfax beamed, "Do come in!"

They all settled into the hedge witch's parlor and stuffed themselves silly on honey-soaked cinnamon buns and tea. Even Granny Witch was pleased to see them.

"Oh, what a handsome couple," she murmured to herself over her tea, feeding bits of bun to Heen as she gazed at Howl and Sophie.

Howl regaled the company with fantastic stories of their journeys through strange and foreign lands, half of which was completely untrue. But Sophie loved to see her wizard husband so full of light this way, his blue eyes dancing merrily as his dazzling voice lulled them all into the spell of his tall-tales. Later Martha and Markl cuddled up to her and told her of all their magical achievements.

Mrs. Fairfax and Howl openly lauded each other's apprentices. The hedge witch complimented the blue-eyed wizard for having instructed such an astute and intelligent little boy. Howl returned her praise of Markl by commenting on how quickly Martha was becoming well known for her own tinctures and simples in the wizarding community.

They were almost loath to leave, but eventually Sophie kissed her sister and Mrs. Fairfax goodbye. Howl had gathered up little Markl, who had tried to stay up far too late and had fallen asleep with his face pressed so hard into his master's leg that the cloth had left and impression.

"Goodbye, dear Granny," Mrs. Fairfax smiled at the old witch, who was cuddling Heen happily. Looking up the old witch caught sight of the castle.

"Oh, what a lovely castle!" She exclaimed, and then waved back at Mrs. Fairfax as she followed after Howl and Sophie. Once inside Calcifer grumbled about taking a vacation for himself, but dutifully took the castle up into the sky, heading south for the wastes.

Sophie tucked Granny witch in and lifted a sleepy Heen onto the foot of her bed. Howl had taken Markl upstairs to deposit the sleeping apprentice in his own room and she could hear her husband's steps overhead. Drawing back the curtain, she made sure that there were logs within Calcifer's reach even though she knew he could get them on his own. Sitting before the fire, she warmed her hands and remembered the first time she had sat before the little flame daemon.

"It's good to have the family home, isn't Cal?"

"Mmm… Missed them," crackled the glowing ember who was already almost asleep.

She was almost dozing herself when she heard the handle of the front door jiggle. Calcifer flared up, surprise plain on his face.

"Sophie! Someone's trying coming in the front door!" He cried.

Sophie scrambled to her feet and clambered over to the top of the stairs peering down at the jiggling handle in terror. The castle was in the middle of the air. How could someone be at the front door?

"Howl! Howl!" Calcifer called anxiously, doing his best to look huge and scary, "Someone's trying to come-"

The fire daemon's cry was cut short as the front door burst open under an explosion of silver and blue sparks. Wind and magic ripped into the kitchen as a great dark shape filled the stairwell. Sophie tumbled over backwards as the shape loomed up to the ceiling, tucking in its dark blue wings.

Suddenly Howl was beside her, lifting her onto her feet as he gathered her to him. The darkness in the kitchen shattered beneath the light of his magic as the otherwind whipped into life around him. His face was calm but his large eyes brimmed with furious power; the wizard flicked his arm out to the side and it burst into blue flames. He was about to launch the burning lance at the castle's invader when a powerful voice shook the room.

_STOP_! It commanded, and Howl hesitated for a moment, recognizing the speaker.

The front door slammed shut but the wind continued. The dark shape coalesced and took the form of a powerful man. The dark winds became his arms, which swept back a heavy indigo cloak that faded into nothing at its whispering hem. Drawing back the hood, Sophie gasped because the man could have been Howl's father. But the silver-haired witch knew him to be another of her husband's kin.

Although his long dark hair was mostly grey, beneath the full beard the Wizard Agyrus' face could have been Howl's. However, the man's visage was heavily lined and held none of the kindness or impish good-humored she so loved in her husband. There was no warmth in this man, only cool business. Sophie noticed that his eyes were ice blue, almost the same cold grey that Wizard Suliman's had once been. He gazed at them without feeling.

Howl's fire extinguished as he dropped his hand. The otherwind left him but his eyes never moved from the intruder, which Agyrus remained in spite of their kinship.

"Howl," The voice spoke again, a neutral statement but not without heavy judgment.

"Hello, Uncle Agyrus," Howl's voice was bitter, "Nice to see you again."


	6. Chapter 6: Lord of Ice

**Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga**

**Chapter 6: Lord of Ice**

After the Wizard Agyrus' arrival, it took some time to get the castle settled back down again. Granny Witch refused to go back to bed, peering fretfully from behind her curtain at the two wizards who gazed at one another impassively over the kitchen table. Heen was hiding under her bed, wheezing a gurgled growl from time to time. Thankfully Markl had not woken; Sophie did not want to expose the warm little boy to the icy man that had intruded into their home.

Calcifer had obliged to boil some water, making very loud and nasty comments about their visitor. Sophie had wordlessly served the two of them tea. The fire daemon spent the rest of the icy wizard's visit crackling loudly and blowing huge plums of black smoke up the chimney. Every so often the silver-haired witch caught sight of the spark making faces at Howl's uncle. Unfortunately, his antics did nothing to cheer the mood.

"You keep odd company, nephew." Agyrus finally spoke, his deep voice resonating like a brass bell. Obviously he disapproved, his voice made that plain in spite of his frozen face.

"I am proud of my family," Howl replied evenly, his handsome face an emotionless mask.

"Yes," Agyrus replied, but his eyes wandered over Sophie. The silver-haired woman felt pinned in place by the intensity of his stare. She felt exposed before him, like the north wind was blowing through the window of her soul.

"I will thank you not to harass my wife," Howl's voice took on an edge of anger; he unfolded his arms and placed a hand on her own.

"I am merely curious, Howl. Her circumstances are… unique."

Agyrus spoke through her, as though she were some interesting trinket he had found in a shop. Sophie felt an immediate surge of sympathy for the childhood Howl had endured with this chunk of ice as his only family. She saw him note the sapphires jewels at her ears and his gazed lingered a long time on the pendant around her neck.

"Her name is Sophie Hatter, uncle. It would please me greatly if you would be considerate to my wife while you are in our home," Howl's words were gracious but his tone was not.

"Yes. Your castle. Is that not what you call it? How quaint."

Agyrus turned his stony gaze to take in the kitchen. Sophie would not have been surprised if the ceiling and the rest of the room had frosted over under his gaze

"What do you want, Uncle?"

"I came to see for myself how far my brother's son had fallen from his destined path. I find he has fallen far, pretending to be what he is not by living a common life."

"Uncle, if you are not going to be civil I will have to ask you to leave," Howl's tone became darker.

The shadows in the kitchen deepened but Agyrus was not impressed. Instead he turned his gaze back to Sophie, who met his eyes without flinching this time, in spite of the color that climbed into her cheeks. She looked back hard, trying to see past the ice and catch sight of the man. She received a startling flash of the scorched plain. Quickly, Agyrus' gaze moved back to Howl as the younger wizard shifted angrily.

"You brought this visit on yourself by not attending to my summons. Suliman was always lenient with you. I, however, shall not be so indulgent."

"I will thank you to leave Suliman out of this, Uncle. It is unbefitting of you to speak ill of the dead. However, I dare say your presence was not missed at her funeral," Howl's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Don't be pert with me, boy. You will be held accountable for your responsibilities. You will lend your support to the Reckoning. I have returned to see to that," Agyrus' voice echoed strongly, punctuating each point sonorously.

"And if I refuse?"

"I will come to collect you myself. I warn you not to let it come to that. Good evening, nephew."

With that the elder wizard stood quickly, wrapping himself in his cloak of sky. His formed dissolved into shadow and wind as the front door burst open. The great shape flew backwards out into the night, slamming the door closed after him.

"Oh, what a sad, sad man," Granny witch murmured and let her curtain fall back.

For a long while there was only the gentle sound of Calcifer's fire. The little daemon gave a great snort of black smoke and hunkered down into the ashes.

"I can't BELIEVE you wanted him to come to the wedding, Howl," Cal snapped and crackled crankily, "What a grump!"

Howl let out a long gusty breath and leaned forward, hiding his face in his hands. The shadows in the kitchen lifted, and the gentle starlight outside ushered in the feeling of home that had fled a minute before.

"I was hoping he had changed," Howl murmured, "I was fool to think so. I'm sorry if he scared you, Sophie. He's really not a bad person."

"That man is your uncle?" Sophie still could not see how that pillar of ice was in anyway related to Howl. She placed a consoling hand on his shoulder and pushed his tea a little closer to him encouragingly.

"He is only blood kin I have left. But don't think too harshly of him, dear one," Howl murmured between sips of his tea, "Like greed consumed the witch of the wastes, uncle Agyrus let himself be consumed by his sorrow. I did so want to spare you from this, Sophie," he said plainly, leaning forward again to place his face in one of his hands.

"Please, Howl, don't keep things from me. Won't you please tell me what is going on?"

Sophie took in the tired expression on her husband's face with worry.

"Whatever the trouble is I know I can help you. We need to work together, but I can't do that if you keep me in the dark. I know you want to protect me, but we need to work together, as a family," Sophie replied firmly, but lovingly.

Her earnest eyes managed to catch his as he glanced sideways at her. He seemed afraid for a moment, but that passed quickly as his look melted into love. Reaching out he gathered her to him, tucking her head under his chin. Pressing her ear against his chest to listen to the quick beats of his heart.

"How did I manage to marry such a wonderful witch?" He murmured as he stroked her hair.

"I'm a blessing and a curse. Don't change the subject," she listened to him chuckle, not releasing him from her arms.

"Calcifer, do you remember what our original bargain was?"

The little spark flew over and settled on a special trivet they kept on the table just for him. Looking up at Howl, the fire daemon blinked solemn eyes.

"Yup. I fell from the sky as a star, but I didn't want to die. You gave me your heart so I could live in exchange for my promise that I would stay with you always. We were both pretty lonely back then."

The little spark blew a ring of smoke then looked up at them shyly, turning a rosy pink, "As much as I complain I still think it was the best deal I ever made."

"Thank you, Cal. We're glad you're still with us."

Howl smiled kindly at the flame, which looked away bashfully. Settling back into his chair, the raven-haired wizard began an unexpected tale.

"Both of my parents' died a long time ago in a great battle between opposing sides of sorcerers called the Mage War. I have heard the story told so many times so many ways I'm not sure who was right and who was wrong. All I know is it was a pointless war, like all wars are. But it was made all the more hideous because of the magic used to fight it.

"Unfortunately magic is a fickle thing, prone to the whims of those who wield it. All the hate and all the suffering of the Mage War made the magic of the otherworld begin to turn against the mortal world. You've seen the aftermath of that magic gone wrong on the scorched plain in the otherworld.

"Remember what Suliman said? Sometimes the best of intentions can cause the worst tragedies.

"Uncle played a large part in bringing about the end of the Mage War. He somehow managed to show both sides that their conflict was going beyond the mortal world and was destroying the otherland as well. He convinced them that if they did not stop, the darkness would seep through and consume everything.

"The otherworld is a sacred place to sorcerers. I think the fact that their battle had reached beyond the indigo veil shook he Mages to their bones. The remaining witches and wizards banded together and built the Dull Wall, which holds back the Dark. It was a difficult achievement and many lost their lives in its making, my parents included. However, the Dull Wall is mortal magic and erodes quickly under the winds of the otherworld.

"The survivors of the Mage War knew this, so they formed a council that would meet whenever the wall thins and the Dark begins to seep through. These meetings are called The Reckoning. It is the responsibility of the council to deal with the Wall in order to ensure that balance is preserved.

Howl paused here to take a sip of tea and seeing that he held the rapt attention of his audience he continued.

"Before I met Calcifer I was a very lonely child. Going home to my uncle made things worse because he always ignored me. Probably because I remind him too much of my dead parents. Back then he was not so unfeeling to ignore that his absence hurt me just as much as his presence; hence he gave me the cottage above Star Lake.

"I was far enough into my apprenticeship at that time that I could care of myself. Suliman knew my parents very well, and I think it was out of respect for their memory that she let me get away with more than I should have.

"I do know that I greatly disappointed both her and my uncle when I made my bargain with Calcifer and ran away from the royal academy. Once they discovered my curse, they had to put aside their hopes that I would join the Council. To them I had become the very thing they worked to prevent.

"However, I never had any intentions of joining with them. The Wizards on the council have become self important, loosing sight of the real reasons for their vigilance. It's rather ironic. They have fallen prey to their own personal daemons and are blind to that fact.

"Dear Suliman's daemon was pride. She was convinced that she had the answer to everything and that it was within her power to fix things. Agyrus' daemon is sorrow. He has lost so much that he decided to save himself from pain by ceasing to feel at all.

"I think that my curse was self inflicted as well. It had nothing to do with the fact that I gave away my heart to save the life of a falling star. I fell before my own daemon: fear.

"I feared that I would never be loved, so I gave my heart away thinking I would have no use for it. My sorrow slowly consumed me, turning me into the monster I felt I was inside. And yet I discovered that I still desired to be loved, even with an empty chest. So I filled that hole with the pursuit of empty pleasures.

"Until I met you Sophie," Howl gave his wife another squeeze and kissed the top of her head, "Before you I don't think I've ever truly loved or been loved."

He paused, staring at the front door as though divining some distant secret.

"I don't begrudge my Uncle or the Wizard's Council their personal failings. Of all people I have no right to that. But I cannot abide by the way they meddle in the lives of others and I simply refuse to let people tell me how to live my life.

"Despite all that has happened, they _think _they know what is best for everyone. They _think_ that magic is the solution to everything. They _think_ that they are infallible. But the fact that Suliman stood by and permitted another War to be fought with magic is proof that they are wrong."

Calcifer crackled in the silence that followed and the little fire daemon regarded Howl with a strange look.

"I've never heard you tell that story before, Howl."

"I don't like to dwell on unpleasant things, especially the past," the wizard replied loftily, "It's distracting and it makes me moody."

Howl's story had plunged Sophie deep into thought. It had brought about several revelations, both about the scorched plain and her husband's past. True to his way, he had managed to give her answers without responding to any of her questions. But Sophie didn't want to think about that anymore. All that matter was being with her family. She vowed that not even Wizard Agyrus, the great Wall Maker of the Mage War, could come between them.

"Sophie?" Howl murmured after a moment, looking down to find Sophie had fallen fast asleep in his arms.

"I think she's asleep, Howl," Calcifer crackled.

"Indeed. Good night, Calcifer," Howl smiled at the small spark as he tenderly gathered his sleeping wife into his arms and carried her off to their room.

xXx

"Howl?" Sophie murmured sleepily, reaching for her husband in a half waking state. Her hand found a face, which smiled beneath her palm. The face began to kiss her fingers as she peeked an eye open. Merry blue eyes sparkled at her from between her fingers. Rolling over, Howl tucked her head under his chin and yawned.

"Morning," He mumbled into her head.

"Do we have to get up?" Sophie asked softly and Howl laughed. Normally it was the other way around.

"Not if you don't want to."

Sophie was quiet for a moment, listening to the various chimes and bell tones of the many somethings in the room. Great eyes battered their lids lazily, to ward of bad spirits Howl had once told her. Lifting her hand she batted at one of the mushrooms that dangled from a bunch of dried roses.

"What are we going to do, Howl?" She asked finally.

The raven-haired wizard grabbed her to him as she tried to sit up.

"None of that this morning," he mumbled into her hair, which elicited a giggle from her because it tickled horribly, "I demand that we simply lay here and pretend like its still night and sleep all day long."

"As you wish," Sophie finally gave up squirming and let herself be held. But even as she in his arms she could hear the wheels turning in her husband's head. But she did not press the matter; Sophie knew better than that.

xXx

After a late breakfast Howl asked Calcifer to land the castle.

"What's the good of sticking wings on a _flying_ castle if you're going to have it muddy about on the ground with skinny legs?"

Calcifer crackled irritably, puffing smoky rings, but acquiescing to Howl's request none the less. The fire daemon made use of the castle's legs and sent them bumbling into the mists of the wastes.

"Come give me a hand, Markl," Howl called cheerfully as he handed his apprentice three pieces of colored chalk.

"What are we doing, Master Howl?" Markl asked curiously, putting aside the great book he had been reading.

"It's been a long time since we renewed some of the wards on the castle. Even magic needs a spring cleaning," he replied sagely.

As the wizard and his apprentice proceeded to cover every inch of the castle in chalky markings, Sophie retreated trying not to mutter about the fact that she had just mopped. The silver-haired witch did not know what the markings meant but the visceral feeling she experienced while looking belied their protective nature.

As Sophie brought the laundry out onto the deck to string up in the wind, she watched the green steppes whisk by while pinning up their clothes. As she clipped the last sock from her basket, the castle gave a rollicking bump, a contralto hiss, and clattering sigh and she noticed they had come to rest by Star Lake. She paused staring out over the glassy surface through the thick mists drifted by in shifting veils.

Her witchy sense of intuition told her that Howl had brought them here because of the mists; they would conceal them as well as any spell. The Wastes were enchanted place, heavily steeped with magic. Seeking spells did not work very well out here among all the echoes of magic that had been and would be again.

As she picked up her basket, she caught sight of Howl and Markl on the grass below as the fog shifted by again. They were drawing a magic circle on the ground with the chalk bucket. Rather, Markl was drawing the circle under Howl's supervision. She noted again how big the sandy haired apprentice was getting. His clothes were beginning to show a great deal of wrist and ankle.

Whatever they were doing was beyond her, she had no idea what the circle was for. But Calcifer would.

Coming down stairs, Sophie selected one of the shirts Howl wore the least from the cavernous closet in their bedroom. The thick cotton would be well suited to a garment for the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. But she would have to make Markl another outfit out of something thicker for winter. Going into her room she snagged her sewing basket from the shelf and paused as she caught sight of Suliman's staff.

They almost always slept in Howl's room, mostly because he had a bigger bed. Sophie also believed it was because Howl didn't like being in the same room with his former master's stick. Suliman had passed into the otherworld more than two months ago, but Howl still mourned her.

Glancing up at the silver box that stood above it on a special shelf, she frowned as she found the lid was open. Reaching up, Sophie flicked it shut and locked the box reverently hoping Granny Witch hadn't been pocking around in it.

Sophie carried the shirt and sewing basket downstairs to the terrace, trying to ignore the multicolored smudges on the walls and floor. She looked to where the former witch of the wastes sat in her rocking chair, petting a gloomy Heen. The little dog hadn't been the same since the funeral, but Granny seemed to console him.

"Nice doggy," She murmured happily and Heen wheezed softly.

Sophie settled into the thickly cushioned couch in front of the brazier Howl had set into the center of the veranda. The little spark was pretending to be asleep, but the she could always tell from his color what he was up to.

"What are the boys doing, Calcifer?"

"What makes you think their up to something, Sophie?" Cal crackled innocently.

"He asked you not to tell me, didn't he?"

"I'm not a liberty to say," he replied loftily, giving a great poof of smoke as Sophie chucked another log onto him. She turned her attention to ripping the seams out of the shirt and tried not to wince as the front door burst open, heralding the entrance of muddy feet.

"You really think it will work, master Howl?" Markl's voice was full of excitement. The little boy nearly ran circles around the tall wizard, who laughed merrily, dusting the white chalk off of his black pants.

"Of course it will work, Markl! You helped draw the circle yourself," Howl replied confidently.

"Wipe your feet!" Sophie called menacingly and the two of them made a great deal of noise stomping and rubbing their shoes on the mat to please her. Markl wandered over in her direction and watched her draw and quarter the shirt while Howl dug around in the cabinets for some odd bit.

"What are you doing, Sophie?" Markl asked inquisitively, peering over the arm of the couch as she tore at the seams.

"Mmmm… I could ask the same of you two. Come here and hold still."

Markl obediently stood before her, letting her take his measurements with a piece of knotted string. He began to fidget and she ruffled his hair.

"All, done."

But Markl lingered as he watched her carefully measure the fabric and make little notations on a piece of paper.

"Why don't you use magic to do that, Sophie?"

"Because I don't need to. Just because I _can_ use magic to do something doesn't mean that I _should_ use magic to get it done."

"But won't it take you a long time?"

"You need some new clothes. Besides, I like making things using my own two hands."

Markl seriously consider her words for a moment with a confused face, "You're a funny witch, Sophie. You know that?"

"Come'er, you," she grinned swiping Markl to her and ticking him mercilessly. The not so little apprentice shrieked and giggled, easily wriggling away.

"That'll teach you to call me funny!" She called after him and caught Howl watching her with a gentle look in his eyes.

Apparently he had been listening in on their conversation. Sophie colored, realizing she hadn't asked if she could use the gutted shirt that lay in her lap. Apparently he didn't mind. Howl still loved to gussy himself up when they went out, but the raven-haired man had lost much of his need for vanity. However, he did love to stink up the house with various fragrances, mostly hyacinth and roses.

The wizard turned his eyes back to the vial of silver liquid in his hand, which caught both Markl and Calcifer's attention.

"Wow, Master Howl! Is that really Amaranth tears? Can I see it?" Howl handed the vial to his student, who carefully examined the small bottle. The slippery silver substance whirled within the glass tube, shifting among the many colors of the rainbow.

"That's some mighty powerful stuff, Howl. I hope you don't expect me to eat that?"

"No, Calficer, it's not for you. It's a component for the invisibility spell Markl and I are working on. We were working with rocks and trees, but the little scamp upped the ante. He asked me if we could turn the whole castle invisible and I couldn't pass by the opportunity."

Sophie knew there was more to the story than that, but she didn't begrudge Howl his secrecy. Markl didn't need to be burdened by fear at such a young age.

"Move the castle three steps to the north, would you Cal?" Howl called as he stooped and began scratching a magic circle onto the kitchen floor."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" The fire daemon grumbled from the hearth and there was a moment of jostling, then the familiar hissing and creaking that signaled they had settled onto the mark.

"Oh, what a pretty fire," Granny Witch smiled at Calficer, who blushed rosily and looked away.

Sophie put down her work and watched her husband step into the center of the magic circle. Sensing that he had an audience, Howl made a gracefully flourishing motion with his hand. A fey grin crossed his face as he uncorked the vial and let a single drop fall onto the chalk patterns below. The floor shimmered for a moment and the markings glowed silver, casting a flood of light upward onto Howl. The familiar smell of roses and hyacinth filled the room as the otherwind whipped upwards out of the light, lifting the wizard into the air. Beneath him the floor seemed to dissolve, showing through to the ground below.

Whipping his other hand out to the side, Howl snapped his fingers and swept his palm skyward. The emptiness below him pulsed outward and up the walls like a ripple from a stone dropped into still water. There was a disorienting moment where Sophie could see through the band of magic to the world outside as it raced up the walls, disappearing the roof. For a moment she was staring at the misty grey sky, small breaks allowing sun to filter through. Then the magic was gone and the roof had returned.

"Oh, what a handsome man!" Granny witch gushed.

"Show off!" Calcifer smoked moodily, rolling over into the ashes.

Wind gone, chalk erased, Howl's feel touched back to the ground and he corked the vial. Markl made a frogfish face and looked down at himself and peered hard at Sophie over his shoulder.

"But I'm still here, Master Howl. I can still see all of us!" Markl frowned in confusion.

"That's because the spell only works from the outside. Come on out and take a look for yourself."

Howl winked at his apprentice and turned on his heel, nearly flying out the front door in such a good mood.

"Come on, Sophie!" Markl grabbed a hold of her and dragged her off the couch and down the steps with him.

Outside the mists were thick and wet. Sophie could barely see the thin outline of Howl in the distance. Markl pulled her down the hill to the edge of the water, and the two of them burst from the mist into clear air. Howl stood on the shore with the sinking sun behind him with one hand on his hip; looking for all the world as though he had posed himself.

"Well?" He grinned, blue eyes flashing merrily, "What do you think?"

Sophie and Markl turned to look back the way they came, but they could only see the mists.

"I can't see the castle because of all the clouds, Howl!"

"Well, let's fix that!" He grinned and clapped his hands. The emerald jewels he wore flashed for a moment, then as he drew his hands apart the clouds split before them revealing: nothing!

"Wow! That's amazing, Master Howl!"

Markl crowed with excitement, jumping up and down and turning in circles. Howl preened for a moment happily and Sophie had to laugh too, clapping in spite of herself. He never ceased to astound her when it came to magic. But as she smiled at him, she had mixed feeling.

He had managed to protect them again both from the world and from the truth by making their trouble into a game. Some would call such behavior childish, but she didn't care. She accepted Howl for who he was, and loved him unconditionally none the less.

"Hey, Master Howl… What's that?" Markl called. Peering into the distance on the edge of the water, the ginger haired apprentice pointed at a shape in the sky far on the horizon.

Turning, Sophie peered into the light of the sun, which obscured the figure in the sky. It appeared to be heading towards them. Howl shielded his eyes with his hand and stared hard into the distance. Suddenly, the figure swooped high and emerged from the glare of the setting sun, resolving into several distinct shapes. A great red bird wheeled and thrashed in the air, harried and attacked by several dark shades that ripped at its feathers and slashed at its breast.

"Sophie, take Markl inside," Howl's face was serious; a frown pulled at his lips.

"What is it, Master Howl? Is that a bird?" Markl moved over to his master squinting at the swooping and diving figure.

"Now!" Howl commanded brusquely.

Sophie whisked the boy up into her arms and dashed back into the mists, which had sunk back into place.

"What's going on Sophie?" Markl asked anxiously a she set him down on the front step of the castle.

"It's alright, Markl. Go inside and don't come out no matter what, okay?"

"Okay," the little boy replied hesitantly, clutching handfuls of her skirt. It reminded her of the same movements Howl had made when she returned from the otherworld after smashing the cursed mirror. She seized him in a rough embrace and kissed him on the head.

"Don't worry, Markl. Howl and I will be right back."

Setting him down, she opened the door and pushed him through.

"What's happening, Sophie?" Calcifer called anxiously.

"Stay inside, Cal! Make sure no one comes in unless we say so!" Sophie called, and then pulled the door shut.

Charging through the mists she burst out onto the shore, discovering the fight had come closer still. The familiar red bird was screeching in pain as the shades clawed at its wings.

_Barimus!_ She saw him clearly in her othersight. The red wizard tucked his wings and plummeted towards the surface of the lake pursued closely. At the last minute he snapped his wings open and pulled up.

As the crimson bird wheeled towards the sky, a great liquid hand shot from the water and closed around one of the dark figures. It dissolved into vapor, taking the shade with it. Sophie caught sight of Howl suspended above the water's at a distance with his hand held out at his side. She could see a piece of the banishing mirror between his fingers; it seemed to absorb the vanishing light of the sun like a cold point of doom.

The shard split into three pieces as he cast it with inhuman strength towards the threads of Dark that pursued Barimus. The glinting splinters pierced the shadows with deadly accuracy and they faded into nothing. The red bird began to loose speed as it reached the apex of its upward flight, shedding feathers along the way. It hovered for a moment then plummeted towards the lake, loosing its bird shape as it fell.

Sophie screamed and reached with her hands as though she could stop the wizard's fall, but he slipped through the fingers of her magic and crashed into the lake.


	7. Chapter 7 The Red Bird

**Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga**

**Chapter 7: The Red Bird**

Moments after the red wizard disappeared beneath the surface of Star Lake, Howl was there. He dived in after his apprentice brother and long second passed like minutes. Sophie could not drag her eyes from the spot where the two had disappeared. At last Howl burst from the lake, gasping in a great breath of air, a slack red form slung in his arms.

Howl dragged himself most of the way to the shore by pure will alone. Sophie scrambled out into the icy water when they drew near, taking up the other arm of the unconscious red man when Howl foundered. Barimus was trapped between his human and bird forms, his limbs were still feathered and clawed. Evil wounds oozed dark ochre on all parts of his body. His pale face was stricken, eyes closed.

Together, she and Howl managed to get him into the castle among screams from Granny Witch and clamorous calls from Markl and Calcifer.

"Hot water!" Was Howl's only answer.

They lost another door to the bathroom to their struggle, although by whose hand was unclear. The witch and wizard managed to get Barimus into the tub and Howl flashed Sophie a desperate look, unspoken words passing between them.

The witch turned and tore down the stairs, tumbling into the herb closet. Casting her eyes about in the dark, she reached up and ripped a bunch of Agrimony from the ceiling. Snatching a silver knife from the shelf she smashed a ceramic jar on the floor and fished a bone out of the fragments.

The ground flew beneath her feet and she was back in the bathroom. When she returned Howl had his friend's hand in his own, the feathers floating on the surface of the hot water heralded that a man had emerged from beneath the bird.

She handed Howl the agrimony, which burst into flame as soon as it touched the wizard's hand. He smeared the ashes over the prone man's face.

_To ward the daemons from his soul and cleanse the poison from his blood. _

Howl's calm voice sounded in her head, giving her instructions even now as their friend lay dying. Casting her eyes over the man, she could see the many evil mars were the threads of dark had burned and slashed the man. Without thinking Sophie gouged her finger with the knife and smeared the blood on the bone; it turned to silver instantaneously.

Howl took the bone and placed it on the surface of the water. It should not have floated, but it did. The black blood seeping from Barimus' wounds drew to the bone like iron to a magnet, leaving behind only the red of true blood.

_Mirror!_

Howl reached out his free hand, never letting go of his friend with the other, but Sophie had none. Turning, she was about to smash the bathroom mirror for a piece of the glass when Barimus let in a great gasp of air. His brown eyes flew open wide and he slapped the bone out of the water. The silver article landed in the sink with a clatter. Somehow he had managed to keep the Dark from his soul. He was lucky.

Barmius heaved in several breathes, his face white as a sheet beneath the corn silk hair that plastered to his head.

"Howl…" He rasped in a weak voice.

"It's alright, Barimus. You're with us now," Howl replied soothingly, gently squeezing his brother's hand. The red wizard nodded weakly, and his head lolled to the side.

"Barimus!" Howl called in dread, but Sophie could still see the life in the red clad man.

"He's alive, Howl. Help me get him out of the water."

They had him out and onto the bed in Sophie's room. She snatched the drying power from the bathroom and emptied the entire contents onto all three of them. Once dry, the silver-haired woman was able to really get a look at the wounds on the Royal Sorcerer. The fact that his clothes were scarlet did not help. After stripping him to the waist, things did not look good. Deep wound crisscrossed the sorcerer's arms and chest, oozing red blood that did not seem likely to stop. His skin was cold and clammy, but his head was hot and pale.

"Can you heal him?" Sophie's voice was tremulous.

"I'm not a healer, Sophie. My magic can only do so much," the wizard muttered bitterly.

Howl's eyes were lost beneath the bangs of his long black hair. Sitting beside the bed, he still held his brother's hand in his own. Sophie flew to the bureau and immediately began tearing up sheets for bandages. Her mind turning furiously. Martha! She and Mrs. Fairfax were renowned healers. If anyone could help Barimus it would be them.

"Use these to staunch the bleeding," Sophie dumped the torn sheets into Howl lap and the wizard stared at her blankly.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Howl, he's not dead yet!" She regretted speaking so harshly, seeing the pain plain on her husband's features. But her words seemed to jolt him out of his grief.

"Calcifer!" She shouted out the door and the little flame appeared above Markl who was already waiting in the hallway.

"We need to keep Barimus warm," She spoke quickly to the little flame, who nodded.

"Markl, go find as many clean sheets as you can. Rip them into strips like the ones in Howl's lap. Help him staunch the bleeding," the boy nodded and went to raid the linen closet.

"Where are you going?" Cal crackled timorously seeing Sophie snatch her shawl off the wall.

"I'm going to get Mrs. Fairfax."

"Are you crazy! You can't go out there! There might be more of those things!" The little flame wobbled anxiously in the air turning sickly shades of green and blue.

"If I don't go he might die!"

"Be careful," He pipped, cowed before her vehemence. Markl dashed back into the room with an armful of sheets as Sophie withdrew.

As she dashed down the stairs, the silver-haired witch cast a glance at Granny Witch, who stood anxiously by the hearth with Heen in her arms.

"Are you going, dear?" The old woman queried with worry.

"Yes, granny. Stay here and don't let anyone into the castle but me. I'll be back soon."

Sophie hurried down the front steps and slammed the door behind her. The mists enveloped her immediately and the young woman threw her hands out sprouting feathers the color of starlight. A great silver bird burst from the clouds into the night sky, stirring great zephyrs with its wings as it wheeled north toward Folding Valley.

The wastes blurred beneath her and she lost all sense of time, her keen eyes searched the sky for signs of trouble. Someone had sent those shades after Barimus, someone far more powerful than the Royal Wizard. The thought chilled her. Howl must have had a premonition. Something had prompted him to place the invisibility spell on the castle and take a piece of banishing glass from the silver box in her room.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, she caught sight of the familiar farm below. Warm yellow lights glowed in the windows and her heart gave a leap of relief. The horses in the field whinnied in fear as the great silver bird dropped from the sky and landed with an awkward tumble. A barking dog ran from her with whimpers of fear and she screeched at it impatiently. Sophie struggled to the house, still halfway between a bird and a woman, reaching with a clawed hand to hammer the silver ring that hung on Mrs. Fairfax's front door.

After what seemed like ages, Martha opened the door wearing a shawl and her nightdress. Although all the boys had always fawned over Lettie; Sophie secretly thought Martha was prettier. Her pale face was angular and her dark hair long and straight. It gave her a severe quality that made her look regale.

But at the moment Martha was red nosed and sleepy-eyed. The look of annoyance on her sister's face melted into horror as she caught sight of the creature at her door. She backed against the wall and grabbed a vase of lilies making ready to hurl it at Sophie when she recognized her sister's face amongst the feathers.

"Sophie! What has happened to you?"

"No time! Is Mrs. Fairfax home?" Sophie's voice was lyrical to her own ears, chiming softly with the magic that kept her between forms.

"She's gone! Went to the witches' solstice fair in Marda with Mr. Fairfax. She left me to mind the shop."

"You must come, we need a healer!"

"I'm just an apprentice. What can I do?"

"A friend is close to death!"

The urgency in her sister's voice seemed to galvanize the young hedge witch. She dashed into another room and returned with thick wool coat and a large basket full of multicolored bottles, pots of herbs, and other magical paraphernalia. Pulling on her coat, Martha dragged an ugly, shapeless pair of boots from a chest beside the front door. Sophie recognized the seven-league boots immediately.

"Where is your friend?" She asked pulling on the magic shoes.

"North shore of Star Lake."

"I'll meet you there," Martha replied as she stood with her heavy basket. Taking a step southward, the dark haired apprentice vanished in a whirl of color. Closing the door, Sophie sprang once more into the sky and speed after her.

xXx

Star Lake shone beneath her wings as Sophie wheeled downward. A small figure stood on the shores waving at her frantically, a pair of ugly boot clutched under her arm. Once again the silver-haired witch landed heavily and tumbled to her feet between bird and woman.

"Sophie, where is the castle?"

Martha cried anxiously, searching the empty shores. Sophie could not see the great shape of her home and took solace in the fact that no one could either.

Holding up her left hand, Sophie gazed at the red jewel on the enchanted ring Howl had given her. It glimmered and cast a thin red light into the mists. Sweeping an arm-like wing around her startled sister, Sophie ushered her through the mists. Reaching a hand out into the swirling clouds, her clawed hand found solid purchase on the front door. Feeling for the latch, she pushed the door open and glided inside.

At the top of the stairs Granny Witch held a broom menacingly with a growling Heen at her feet. The startled old woman fell back at the sight of Sophie, a look of wonder on her face. The silver-feathered witch swept her sister through the kitchen and up the stairs on a magic wind, their feet never touching the floor. The bedroom door burst open before her, startling Markl and Calcifer who were peering anxiously at the unconscious Barimus. Howl had not moved.

Martha bustled forward with a frown of concentration on her forehead, depositing her brimming basket on the side table. The young herbalist assessed the prone red wizard with a face that showed she meant business.

"You, bring me a basin of hot water," She commanded Markl, who gave a start and dashed past Sophie. Rummaging through her basket, she pulled out a squat green candle carved with blue runes.

"Light this," Martha barked at Calcifer, who crackled indignantly but spit a tiny ember at the wick, which bust into flame.

The room began to fill with earthy smelling smoke as the dark-haired girl began unloading bottles and bundles of gauze. Markl came back in being careful not to slosh the water out of the basin he carried. After setting it on the table, Martha turned and gave them all a level stare

"The rest you get out! That includes you, Wizard Howl."

Sophie took hold of her husband and pulled him to his feet. He gave her a surprised look, taking in her birdish form and was about to protest when Martha stamped her foot.

"Out!" She commanded, and they fled before her, turning to only have the door slammed in their face.

"I can see the family resemblance," Cal crackled mildly.

They retreated downstairs to the kitchen to wait, where Granny Witch peered at Sophie with wonder from her corner under the stairs.

"Oh, what a pretty bird!" She exclaimed peering out from behind her curtain.

"I like you in feathers," Howl smiled at her as she looked down at herself and turned beet red.

With a bit of painful wiggling, Sophie managed to shed her feathers and Markl climbed up into her lap on the couch where she and Howl sat. When the raven-haired wizard shivered and sniffed, Sophie wrapped her shawl around her husband, who leaned into her heavily. Cal peeked open an eye at the wizard from his grate and nonchalantly grabbed another chunk of wood, crackling a bit larger.

By the time Sophie had carried Markl off to bed, her husband was in the midst of a full blown cold brought on by the icy waters of Star Lake. He bundled up on the couch under a blanket Sophie brought him with his long legs propped up on the spare chair beside the hearth. Howl sniffled miserably as he rested his head in his wife's lap, shivering from time to time. Sophie knew it was useless to try and convince him to go to bed. The wizard would stay up all night waiting for word of Barimus.

Sophie sang softly as the hours of the night ticked by and Howl dozed fitfully, jolting awake everytime the castle ceiling creaked. The silver haired woman began to snooze lightly, but jerked awake at the sound of feet on the stairs.

Martha trudged over to the hearth wearily, a satisfied look on her pale face. Sophie and Howl wilted with relief and the raven-haired wizard snatched his feet off the spare chair. The herbalist's apprentice settled on it in front of the fireplace and warmed her hands appreciatively over Calcifer.

She cast a suspicious eye at Howl when she caught him sniffling. Fishing in her pocket with a dour frown, Martha thrust a lozenge wrapped in wax paper into the wizard's hand. The stern glower on her face made it clear that he had no choice, and Howl popped the tablet into his mouth expecting the worst.

Mrs. Fairfax was a dear old woman, round as an apple and twice as sweet. She was a notorious gossip and had more words for any subject than any person Sophie knew. Martha was a stark contrast to the sunny hedge witch. Although she was quite lovely, Martha had inherited the quiet severity of their father. She could say more in a look than a thousand words, which worked out quite well at the Fairfax's shop.

Sophie knew from Martha that the Mrs. Fairfax was easily flustered by argumentative patients. Apparently her young apprentice had made herself indispensable to the old witch, dealing with querulous children and cantankerous customers through a single glance. Martha always had an quiet aura of authority and could boss anyone around, even kings if she had to. During their childhood Martha had reigned over their family with her moods, although her power was second before her eldest sister.

However, Sophie knew that Martha's vinegar almost always predicated the sugar of her true intentions. Howl was surprised to find the pastille was mostly honey and lemon, and then settled back onto the couch smacking his lips softly. Martha rolled her eyes and slouched into her chair, her face softening in the firelight.

"Can I speak with him?" Howl queried suddenly, crunching the lozenge audibly.

Martha made a face without opening her eyes and she crossed her arms. Her body language making it clear that her patient was not to be disturbed. Calcifer snorted and blew a ring of smoke.

"She's worse than you, Sophie," the little fire daemon crackled impishly, then dwindled to a peeking ember as Martha opened an eye and glowered at him.

"Perhaps in the morning," The herbalist's apprentice spoke with authority that made it clear she was not to be questioned.

Sophie grinned to herself, quite sure that her younger sister was becoming an excellent healer. Morning is where they found themselves as Markl shook them awake.

"Wake up, Sophie! Wake up, Master Howl! Barimus is up and he won't listen to me!"

Howl had tried to stand, but Martha was already on her feet and halfway up the stairs to where the red wizard was weakly trying to descend. The dark-haired herbalist fit herself under his shoulder and helped him down the rest of the way. Sophie and Howl jumped up from the couch as the royal wizard sank weakly into the cushions.

Barimus still looked awful, but his color had returned with the self-effacing smile on his face. His bare chest was crisscrossed with white bandages, but no blood seeped through. Martha lay her hand on his forehead and seemed satisfied that he was not feverish. She then turned and peered at Howl intently, who made a started face. Seeing no lingering chill in him, she relieved him of his blanket and wrapped it around the red-wizard.

Barimus smiled at Martha tenderly, submitting wordlessly to her ministrations. Sophie noted the color that climbed into her frowning sister's cheeks as the dark haired girl stonily tolerated the full brunt of the royal wizard's attention. But the gentle look in Martha's eyes belied her softer feelings.

The silver-haired witch wondered what God had written into their family's fate that the Hatter daughters were destined to fall for wizards. Or was it vice versa? Sophie wasn't sure.

"Tea!" Martha commanded, shooting a look at Calcifer. The little fire daemon flared up indignantly and made horrible faces at the herbalist's back as she went for her basket. But the little spark reached out a thin hand to pull the kettle closer to his flames.

"I'm not a slave, lady! What's a daemon got to do to get some respect around here?" He called after her, snapping and crackling nastily he set to making the water boiling.

Howl sat beside his apprentice brother and at first both were silent. Sophie ushered Markl away from the wizards to give them privacy. She went to get Granny Witch out of bed with thoughts of breakfast on her mind.

"I'm a fool, Howl," Barimus began suddenly, a fierce look of self disgust on his face.

"Barimus," Howl spoke soothingly, placing a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder.

"No. I have failed you by falling prey to my own arrogance; my pride blinded me to the truth. I thought you a coward, Howl. But I understand now why you shunned the Wizards Council and broke with the academy," Barimus continued in agitation, clenching his fists as a look of anguish crossed his face. He continued in a quiet voice meant only for Howl.

"The Wizard's Council thinks so highly of their cause that they justify any means. He enticed a group of lesser wizards to come to the Reckoning with promises of greatness. But they were just bricks to be exploited in the mending of the Wall. He used them, Howl. He stripped them of their powers and used their magic to strengthen the Dull Wall.

"I objected and spoke out against the council openly when I realized what they were doing. Once Agyrus realized I would not be turned he saw no further use for me. He tried to consume my power as well. I escaped only to be pursued by threads of the very Darkness we are trying to combat.

"The Wall isn't broken, Howl. It's Agyrus. The Wall Maker has become the Wall Breaker. He had fallen prey to the very daemons we seek to keep from this world. With every brick he lays he fuels the Dark and allows more of the noxious magic to slip through the cracks into the mortal realm."

"What of the other sorcerers on the Council? Surely they can subdue him?" Howl's face was series, his dark eyes flickered the furious emotions within him.

"They are powerless before Agyrus. He rules them with fear."

"What of King Ferdinand?"

"He knows nothing," Barimus paused here and cast a bitter look at his brother, "I should have trusted your instincts; but pride kept me from you. How I hated you when you left us. Suliman grieved for a long time and I hated you because it proved she loved you best. It was wrong of me. I should have come to you, Howl. Perhaps she would still be a live if I had."

"You are not to blame for anything that has happened, Barimus," Howl spoke with gentle affection, tilting his head to catch the red-wizard's eyes, "Even wizards are weak before their daemons, including dear Suliman. The pain you have endured is penance enough for whatever guilt you feel. You are here with us now; together we will work together to make things right."

Barimus seemed spirited by his brother's words and they smiled warmly at one another, sadness gone.

Martha appeared at the hearthside with a mug full of lemony smelling herbs, deftly interjecting herself between the two wizards with her back to Howl. The young herbalist shot a look over her shoulder at the raven-haired man that promised she would box his ears if he upset her patient. Pouring hot water from kettle, Martha blew on the mug until it was cool enough to drink. She handed it to Barimus' and stood with crossed arms, wordlessly making it plain she was going to stand there until he drank it all.

The red-wizard obliged and handed the cup back to her with a sunny smile. Martha absorbed his charm stonily and left the blond wizard to stare after her with gentle eyes.

"Geez, what a bully!" Cal whispered conspiratorially to the wizards, making sure Martha was out of earshot. They chuckled to themselves and Barimus held his side with a wince of pain.

Although breakfast was a simple affair, Howl and Barimus made it a grand occasion with stories of their youthful antics. Sophie particularly enjoyed the story of how Howl had managed to tangle himself in a chandelier at the Royal Palace while learning to fly. Suliman apparently had left him there as a lesson for not studying hard enough. Not to be undone, Howl made it rain in the study for two whole hours, ruining the floor. Barimus was almost in stitch when he described how all the servants had to bustle about in slickers with umbrellas to save the rugs and furniture.

On numerous occasions Sophie caught Martha smiling at Barimus and Howl caught his wife catching her sister. The witch and wizard eyed each other knowingly but left that to the hands of fate.

"I really must be going," Martha said and stood with a reluctant finality.

"Permit me to show you out, Lady Martha," the red wizard smiled charmingly as he carefully rose to his feet. Earlier the dark-haired girl had borrowed one of Sophie's dresses, stating plainly that it wasn't proper to wander about in a nightdress.

"That's not necessary, Wizard Barimus. You should save you strength," she replied as she pulled on her coat and reached for her seven league boots.

"I insist, allow me," He replied sunnily turning on the full lamp of his charms as he took her basket. Taking her arm, he walked her down the steps to the front door. For once in her lifetime, Martha didn't argue.

"Honestly, you two must have gone to the same charm school," Sophie muttered as she politely ignored the exchange between her sister and the red wizard. Howl winked at her over his tea as the front door closed.

"Do you think she'll be safe?" Barimus asked no one in particular as he hovered at the top of the stairs.

"Quite safe, Barimus!" Howl beamed and ushered his reluctant brother back to the couch. At times it was hard to remember who was older than whom.

"I'll fetch you a shirt so you don't need to wear that blanket like an old lady," Howl disappeared off upstairs and Sophie clattered about the kitchen cleaning up after breakfast. Barimus settled back into the cushions with a sigh until he realized he was being watched. Peeking open one eye, he caught sight of Howl's apprentice Markl watching him with large brown eyes.

"Did you and master Howl really study together?"

"Yes. Wizard Suliman took him on as an apprentice about two years after she had accepted me as her pupil."

Markl frowned at him for a while, almost having trouble thinking of his master ever having been a student. Indeed, the red wizard had trouble thinking of his apprentice brother as a teacher.

"When did you begin your studies with Howl?" Barimus asked back in a distracted way once he realized the boy was just going to stare at him.

"About two years ago. I'm just turned seven in May," Markl puffed with pride.

"That makes you almost a man," Barimus replied in amusement before a red shirt dropped onto his head. Howl flopped down beside his apprentice brother and grinned at his young pupil.

"I see you're interrogating Wizard Barimus. Has he spilled his guts yet?"

Markl gave a small start and blushed furiously, "I think I'll go study, Master Howl."

The raven-haired wizard watched him attempt dragging a huge volume off one of the shelves in the kitchen. Sophie went over and helped him, between the two of them they managed to carry it to the table.

"You're teaching them both magic, I see." Barimus noted as his head emerged from the collar of Howl's shirt.

The blond wizard had difficult getting his injured arm into one of the sleeves but managed. His hair was a great deal shorter than Howl's and he smoothed it back carefully. The red wizard watched his brother gaze over his shoulder to where Sophie and Markl read together from the gigantic tome.

"I'm quite proud of my family," Howl replied sincerely.

"Married life suites you," Barimus replied cryptically.

"Could you stand a walk in the garden? Now that Martha's not hovering about I can get a word in edgewise."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Barimus frowned as he followed Howl out into the backyard.

xXx

The two wizards sat on the stone banister as the clouds enveloped them. Gazing back at the castle, Barimus peered at the great looming shape, his othersight picking out the invisibility magic due to the fact that he was within the boundaries of the spell.

"That's a strong piece of work you've cast over that hulking heap you call home."

"Manners, Barimus. One man's junk is another man's Castle," Howl replied.

"Still. You should probably move the castle. Those shades may have told Agyrus where I was headed."

"You weren't even sure where you were headed when you came here. You got lucky is all. Uncle won't find us here, not in the wastes. Besides, if we move the invisibility spell will break."

The two sat in silence for a while, listening to the distant whisper of the mists as they filtered past into the vast heavens above.

"What will we do, Howl?" Barimus spoke after a long pause.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? You all seem to think I know what to do. Go ask Sophie! She's the only one that really does any thinking around here," Howl muttered angrily, his mood turning as quickly as the clouds overhead.

"You love her very much, don't you?" Barmius smiled at his sulking brother.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do! And I will thank you not to flirt with my wife, Barimus. Don't think I haven't forgotten your behavior on our wedding day."

The red wizard laughed sincerely, throwing Howl even more out of sorts.

"I'm sorry, Howl. I was being a rotten brat by trying to provoke you. I must admit that I'm very envious of you."

"Don't start with that again, Barimus."

Howl was about to continue but the jewels at his ears glimmered softly and he held up his hand. In the mists above a dark shape materialized and hovered for a moment then passed on. Both wizards watched it with a strained look on their faces. Wordlessly they stood and went back inside.

xXx

Markl and Sophie had gone around the castle and shut all of the windows. The grey weather outside thickened and gave no indication of lifting. For that the silver haired witch was glad. She had complete faith in her husband's magic, but the thick clouds were reassuring none the less. Their day was spent cheerily none the less.

Barmius had produced a deck of cards from one of his pockets, and they had spent the rest of the morning gambling for rice candy. Naturally, they let Markl win every hand. But that did not stop Howl from pilfering a few candies from his apprentice while Barimus distracted the young boy. Sophie gave them away several times because of her inability to contain her giggling.

"Great, that's just what this house needs. Two Howls," Calcifer crackled from the hearth, in a bad mood because of all the moisture in the air.

Sophie noted that Granny Witch had been restless all day. She kept wandering from her chair and peering out of various windows. Heen followed after her and wheezed apprehensively each time she stood.

"Is something bothering you, Granny?" Sophie asked after ushering the woman back to her chair for the fifth time in an hour.

"There's a young man out there that wants in, dearie. Can't you hear him?" She replied distantly, her eyes still glued to something outside.

"There's no one out there, Granny. You should rest now. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, tea would be lovely," the old witch replied her eyes still glued to the window.

Given the dark shape Howl and Barimus had seen earlier, what former Witch of the Wastes just said disturbed Sophie. She kept an eye on the old woman as she pulled the kettle closer to Calcifer, who was sleeping in the grate.

"Cal, would you go see what the boys are up to?"

"Do I have to, Sophie?" The little fire spirit wasn't feeling well due to the mists outside. He always got cranky when the humidity went up.

"Please? Granny Witch is acting strangely. She keeps looking at something outside. She just told me someone is out there who wants in."

That seemed to rouse the little spark, who frowned and then shot off up the stairs. Going to the sink, Sophie almost dropped the cup in saucer in her hand as Heen began circling her legs, wheezing and jumping frantically. She did indeed drop them both when a gust of wind blew through the room from the front stairs. Casting her eye at Granny's chair she saw that the witch was gone.

"Granny Witch!" She screamed and shot out the front door after the old woman. The thick mists sprung up all around her and the young witch cast her eyes about madly.

"Over here, dearie!" The witched familiar voice called from the distance, and Sophie hurried towards it.

"Granny! We've got to get back inside right this minute," she cried, catching sight of a shape in the mists ahead of her.

A fey tickled shot across Sophie's skin the moment before the pale blue lines of a magic circle burst into life beneath her feet. The witch found herself rooted in place, paralyzed in both limb and voice. The clouds parted before her as though cleaved by a great knife and shadow fell over her heart. The Wizard Agyrus towered over her, his great cloak of midnight sky whipping about in the wind as his icy eyes bore into her soul. Granny Witch stood not far off, smiling up at the Wall Maker. With her othersight Sophie could now see the magic strings attached to the old witch, a puppet daemon hovered like a dark rain cloud over her head.

"I found him, dearie!" The old witch laughed merrily.

Agyrus moved closer, filling her vision with his arctic presence. The wizard held out his hand and a crystal cube appeared on his palm. Sophie saw her reflection mirrored in the object and experience the strangest feeling of falling.

xXx

Howl felt the magic barrier around the castle breech just as Calcifer shot into Markl's room. A moment later the ring on his finger gave a sorrowful thrill.

Sophie!

The bedroom window threw itself open as the raven haired wizard shot through it like an arrow of magic. A thunderclap shook the heavens above as the mists cleaved in two, revealing the castle and the two figures that stood before the front door. As Howl hovered an inch above the ground in front of the Wall Maker, his face was livid.

Great sparks of blue fire sprung around him as the otherwind buffeted the grass, sweeping back the trailing edges of his uncle's cloak. The raven-haired wizard flicked his hand to his side and the puppet daemon above the old witch expired with a shriek. The old woman sat down hard, whimpering fearfully as she cast her confused eyes at the scene before her.

"Where is my wife!" Howl snarled, clenching his fists which erupted into purple blue balls of flame.

Wordlessly, the Wall Maker held out the crystal cube. Within it a tiny figure with silver haired pressed her hands against the walls. Behind Howl, Barimus and Markl appeared with Calcifer hot on their heels. The red wizard swept up the young apprentice with his good arm and stepped into the air narrowly escaping the circle of magic flickered weakly beneath them. Calcifer burst into a huge purple-white flame and made forward towards the old wizard.

Agyrus' face was a perfect mask of ice as he clenched his fist around the crystal prison. Sophie's screech of pain echoed audibly through the walls of the prison. Everyone froze in place.

"Stop!" Howl screamed in desperation, the magic in his hands smothering, "I'll do whatever you want, just let her go!"

Agyrus stared impassively at his nephew, releasing his grip on the prism. The cries from within ceased, but the Wall Maker continued to hold it out meaningfully.

"Take care of them Barimus," Howl spoke hoarsely, "Tell Sophie I love her."

With that the raven-haired wizard sank to the ground, a circle of magic springing to life beneath his feet. There was a blinding flash and where the raven-haired wizard once stood lay Sophie's prone form. Within the Wall Maker's crystal prison Howl's tiny form could be seen. Agyrus' began to dissolve as he drew back into his cloak of sky.

"Master Howl!" Markl screamed, struggling within Barimus' grip. But the Wall Maker had gone, taking Howl with him.


	8. Chapter 8 Beyond the Wall

**Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga**

**Chapter 8: Beyond The Wall**

Numb, that was what Sophie felt at the moment, numb and empty.

When she first woke in the kitchen Markl was crying into Granny Witch's skirt. Calcifer was in a fiery rage, spitting fire and smoke that singed the couch she sat upon. Barimus stood solemnly above her and the answer to her lone question was been brief.

She recollected having smashed every dish in the kitchen before Barimus had managed to wrench the china from her hands. She screamed and said some nasty things, but her anger was a momentary distraction from the fact that Howl was gone. As quickly as it had come her rage fled like a thief in the night, leaving behind a limitless rift of sorrow within her breast. It had robbed her of all strength; the pain sent her to her knees as though the world beneath her feet had ceased to exist. And she bent her face into her hands and cried.

She was inconsolable.

Her wails of anguish warped the wood beneath her knees, the flowers in the garden turned to ash and the castle moaned and creaked as her emotions gave way to magic. The red wizard was forced to take Markl, Granny Witch, and Heen out of the Castle for fear that the raw power of the silver-haired witch's magic would rend it in two. Only Calcifer remained.

As she lay on the floor of the kitchen, exhausted from grief, she recalled seeing the tiny flame hovering close to her face. Shortly after, Martha had appeared accompanied by Mrs. Fairfax. The two witches managed to drag the silver-haired woman from the floor, as a wary Barimus stood on the edges of the room. Between the two of them they got Sophie onto the couch in front of the hearth.

The sunny plump herbalist fussed over her and somehow managed to get her to drink some vile tasting brew. After that Sophie didn't hear half of what Mrs. Fairfax was nattering on about. She didn't care. She lay there motionless as her mind floated away somewhere overhead.

Sophie finally came to her senses when Markl climbed into her lap and clung to her, trembling slightly. Remorse for her selfish fit of rage blossomed with in her and she cuddled the little apprentice, humming soothingly.

She became aware that Calcifer was arguing heatedly with Martha at the kitchen table, who was in rare form at that moment. Looking over her shoulder, Sophie caught sight of Mrs. Fairfax. The plump old witch wore a wilted ineffectual expression on her face as she sat between the young herbalist and the fire daemon sipping her tea. Granny Witch was sitting at the table as well, patting Heen without a clue that she was close to mortal danger.

Martha's voice soared up an octave as she towered over the fire daemon, "He's still recovering from his wounds! I can't BELIEVE you sent him out there, you smoky little lout!"

"I am NOT little, you in sufferable bully!" Calcifer roared, flaring up large enough to scorch the ceiling, "In case you haven't noticed, Howl is gone! Barimus is the only one with even a hope of finding him! If you weren't acting like an infatuated village bumpkin, you would understand the gravity of the situation."

"You obviously have no understanding whatsoever of medicine and how DARE you insinuate such rot, you nasty LITTLE pip-squeak.," Martha yelled up at the former shooting star, not intimidated in the least.

"Where is Barimus?" Sophie asked softly, approaching with Markl still in her arms.

Her presence startled everyone at the table and both Martha and Calcifer deflated into silence. As the silver-haired witch sat at the table, Mrs. Fairfax stood and fixed her a cup of tea in a bowl since all their cups were smashed.

"He's in the otherworld searching for signs of Howl," Calcifer crackled softly, and then shot a glowering look at Martha.

"How long has he been gone?"

"Almost five hours," Martha replied anxiously. The young herbalist cast an anxious look at the night outside, distracted enough to ignore Calcifer's baiting looks.

"Time moves differently beyond the indigo veil, Martha," Sophie explained simply as she rocked Markl in her arms, "To Barimus it may seem as though only an hour has passed."

"Oh! I didn't know that," her sister replied sheepishly, then rounded on the fire daemon in fury, "Why didn't you tell me that!"

Calcifer swelled again going cross-eyed with rage, but the handle of the front door jiggled, cutting through the calm before his storm. Martha leapt to her feet and hammered down the front stairs just as the red wizard began to materialize in the doorway. Red feathers melted away to display the tired form of a man whose shoulders drooped with the defeat. Martha helped him to the couch, where he collapsed.

"Well?" Calcifer snapped impatiently as he shot over and hunkered into the ashes in the grate.

"Nothing," Barimus replied despondently. Sophie's heart, which had risen on ray of hope, sank once more into despair.

"Agyrus has left Kingsbury," the red wizard replied weakly, "The other wizards on the council are cowards; they refuse to answer my call out of fear for their own lives."

"That's it? That's all you found out?" Calcifer crackled angrily and was about to launch into another tirade had Martha not thrown a log into his mouth. The fire daemon spit it out, spraying the dark-haired witch with soot. The expression of white hot fury on Martha's blackened face was priceless, but her eyes spelled murder.

Calcifer shrank to an ember with nothing but huge eyes as he realized what he had done. Similar to Howl in many ways, the little flame was all hot air and often folded before adversity. The witch whirled and seized the water bucket stalking forward like a black fiend with her white teeth bared. The little flame shot from the hearth as Martha chased him in circles around the silver haired witch.

"Sophie! Save me, Sophie! She's gonna kill me!" Calcifer cried in terror.

"Leave him be, dear. He didn't mean it," The old herbalist pleaded mirthfully for the case of the little spark.

"Oh, what a dirty young girl," Granny Witch spoke vaguely, sending Martha into a new fit of rage.

"Help!" Calcifer screamed, zigzagging all around the kitchen with the young witch hot on his heels.

Markl had peeked up his head just as Martha got covered with soot and by this time he too was laughing uncontrollably. The moment of levity even brought a soft smile to Sophie's lips, although Barimus and Mrs. Fairfax were already roaring.

"I beg you to spare him for my sake, dear Martha," Barimus called from the couch, hooting helplessly with a mix of pain and delight as he held his side, "It hurts to laugh!"

Martha stopped her chase and set down the bucket hearing Barimus was in pain. Calcifer retreated up the flu as she hurried over quickly; tucking herself into the corner of the couch. She solemnly assessed the red wizard's condition. He smiled up at her warmly, and then sat up with difficulty blowing a gentle puff of air over his upturned palm. The soot dissolved in the magic of the wind, leaving her clean with a giddy expression on her face.

Sophie was happy for them, in spite of her sorrow. But the wheels in her head were already turning. Barimus might not be able to find Howl, but the silver haired witch knew she could. Remembering the promise she had made to herself in a state of half sleep, Sophie vowed that the Wall Maker would not make a liar out of her.

xXx

Mrs. Fairfax left late that night, hugging Sophie so hard that she could barely breathe. The Herbalist had suggested that Granny Witch come home with her, to which Sophie reluctantly agreed. It was a difficult decision since their family had already been ripped apart, but she knew it was best in light of the uncertain future.

"Goodbye, Granny Witch," Markl hugged the old woman solemnly from Sophie's arms. The young apprentice had flatly refused to leave her since she had returned to her sense.

"Goodbye, dearies!" The old woman replied in a carefree voice.

Martha stayed behind, offering the former Witch of the Wastes her seven league boots; much to Calcifer's chagrin. The dark haired woman made it clear with a look that she was not about to abandon her sister in a time of need.

Barimus went to sleep in Granny's bed while Martha took Sophie's bedroom. After she had gone upstairs, Calcifer emerged from the flu and settled into the grate warily eyeing the stairwell.

Sophie spent the night in Markl's room in the castle's attic. She couldn't bear to spend a night alone in their bed knowing that she would wake knowing Howl would not be beside her. But sleep evaded her and she spent the majority of the night staring up at the exposed beams overhead.

The room was small, having enough space for a bed, a desk, and a gigantic shelf of books. Sophie never cleaned his room out of respect for the little boy's privacy; in fact this was probably the third time she had ever been in it. The room's real charm was in its high ceilings, created by the gables of the castle. Markl had suspended kites, paper birds and colored mobiles of glass and tin from every nook. They wafted slightly in the draft from the long window that looked south, out over Star Lake.

_He's just like Howl_, she thought to herself as she turned to watch the blond little boy sleep.

Markl was indeed their son. She had no intentions of denying that she thought of herself as the boy's mother. She was sure that Howl felt the same, reflecting on how much time he spent with his apprentice since regaining his heart.

The stab of grief shook her physically as she remembered how her husband had been taken from her. Carefully disentangling herself from the sleeping child, Sophie went down stairs silently. Letting herself out into the garden, she did her best not to stare at the wilted flowers and bare trees that had died under the weight of the magic her sorrow had unleashed.

Sitting on the stone fence, she stared out over the lake. The vast, smooth surface reflected the stars overhead, reminding her of the inverted otherworld beyond the indigo veil. In that place the ground became the sky, glowing with the lights of thousands of living things. Looking down at the magic ring on her index finger, she gazed at it intently and summoned her husband's face in her mind.

_Howl…_

The ring trembled and the jewel showed blue for a weak moment as it once had when she journeyed into the otherworld to break Howl's curse. The light flickered for a moment and went out. But instead of bowing her head in defeat, Sophie's closed her eyes as she bent her mind and soul upon the singular image of her husband.

_HOWL! _

The voice of her magic sped before her like a great tidal surge, echoing through the mortal world and into the next as relentless as the ocean pounds the shore. The ground trembled beneath her feet under the power of her iron will. Sophie's eyes opened after long moments, flashing with blue fire as she gazed down at the ring once more. Under the intensity of her stare a weak tendril of red light pointed north, into the snowy glaciers of the frozen wastes.

xXx

"It could be a trap! Sophie, will you stop for one moment and think about this!" Barimus pleaded with the silver haired witch from the doorway as she bustled about digging for the warmest clothes she could find.

Downstairs Martha was making breakfast; she could hear her sister and the fire daemon yelling at one another between the clatter of pots and pans. Turning, Sophie crossed her arms and towered, giving the red wizard a flinty look that would have subdue even Martha.

"At least let me come with you!" Barimus amended, quickly changing tracks.

"Who will stay with Markl?" The silver-haired witch replied evenly as she dragged a quilted woolen petticoat from the thin wardrobe at the foot of her bed.

"Martha has already offered to stay and keep him safe until we return."

Sophie was about to argue further when she caught sight of the red wizard's face and didn't have the heart to refuse.

"Please, Sophie. He's my brother."

"If you're coming with me, Barimus, at least dress sensibly! Go find something warm in Howl's closet. That peacock must have something for winter in there somewhere," She replied brusquely pretending not to see the blond man smile in triumph as he disappeared down the hall. A little red flame flitted into the room and hovered anxiously above her closet, watching her select the warmest of her dresses.

"Going someplace, Sophie?" Calcifer piped quietly.

"I'm going to collect my husband," Sophie replied harshly.

"Can I come too?" He asked in a little voice.

"It's going to be dangerous for fire spirits, Cal. I see only ice and snow where we're headed."

"That sister of yours is liable to kill me it you leave me behind. Besides, you might need a fire to keep you warm."

"Barimus and I are going to have to fly to get there. Can you keep up?"

"You can clutch the handle of the tin kerosene lantern with your claws can't you? I'll ride on the wick."

"Alright, but…" Sophie bit off the rest of the sentence as Barimus appeared back in the doorway to her room wearing a grey and pink checkered coat. With his blond hair and similar build, the red wizard looked almost exactly like Howl had on the day she had first met her husband. Sophie half collapsed onto the foot of her bed hiding her face in her hands.

"Not that coat, Barimus! Anyone but that one!" She cried fiercely, new tears leaking from her eyes.

Barimus was confused for a moment but understanding dawned on him.

"I'm sorry, Sophie!" He stammered in mortification and left swiftly.

"Sophie?" Calcifer hovered at her shoulder, green with worry.

"Can I be alone for a while, Cal?" She mumbled as she dried her tears on her sleeve.

"Sure thing," the fire daemon replied and flew out, pulling the door shut after him.

Sophie dashed her tears away and quickly changed into her warmest clothes. By the time she was fully dressed she was sweating profusely. Going to her dressing table, she opened the rose puzzle box and took out the blue ribbon she had worn on their wedding day. Tying back her hair with it, she clipped the sapphire jewels at her ears and passed the necklace over her head, tucking it against her skin. Twisting her wedding ring, a nervous habit she had formed, the silver haired witch suddenly looked at Suliman's stick. She went over and took the staff in her hands.

"Smaller," she commanded it, and it shrank to the size of a pen in her hand. She stowed it in her pocket, then cast her eyes to the silver box overhead.

Taking it down, she turned the key and opened it. Her brown eyes fell upon the last remaining shard. She carefully removed it and wrapped it in her handkerchief, stuffing it in her pocket as well. Pulling on her thick wool coat Sophie went downstairs. Reached the bottom step with a frown, she caught sight of Markl tugging angrily at the thick coat Barimus was wearing.

"That's master Howl's coat! Take it off! Calcifer, make him take it off!" The little apprentice shouted in agitation.

Martha was trying unsuccessfully to pull the boy away from the red wizard, who seemed quite lost when it came to dealing with children. Markl was normally such a polite and obedient child, but recent events had shaken his world to the core. As Markl saw Sophie his face went white with fear; pushing Martha away he ran to the silver witch, clinging to her legs.

"You're leaving me! I knew it! Don't go, Sophie!" The little boy cried amongst his tears.

Sweeping him up into her arms, Sophie laughed in a light hearted voice that sounded false to her ears.

"Don't be silly, Markl. We'll be back before you know it."

"No you won't! That bad wizard who took Howl away is too powerful! You'll never come back and I'll be all alone," it was Markl's turn to be inconsolable.

Kneeling, Sophie placed the little boy on the ground and disentangled him from her with a great effort. She managed to get him to look her in the eyes finally, drying his tears with her hem.

"Listen to me Markl," she spoke with such conviction that the little boy stilled, "We're a family and I will not let anything come between us. But I need you to stay here and guard Martha, okay? You need to be the master of this castle until Howl comes home. Do you think you can do that?"

The little boy sniffed and nodded bravely. Sophie was so proud of him at that moment and she swept him into a hug and kissed him fiercely.

"I love you, Sophie," Markl murmured.

"I love you too, Markl. But we have to go now."

He let her go and watched her take the tin lamp Calcifer had mentioned from beside the fireplace.

"In you go, Calcifer," She uncovered lamp and the little flame jumped onto the wick, burning merrily as she returned the shade.

Sophie politely ignored the tender exchange between Martha and Barimus, reflecting on the unique circumstances of their situation. She was forced to go and find her heart and Barimus was reluctantly leaving his behind.

Sophie went down the front steps wordlessly into the morning light, followed by a sober Markl. A strong wind blew from the north and the silver haired witch noted grimly that not even the weather gods pitied them today. Martha and Barimus emerged after a moment, holding hands. Her sister came up and hugged her so hard she thought her ribs would crack. The dark haired witch wordlessly wished her luck with large eyes.

Barimus ruffled Markl's hair and smiled at the annoyed look the apprentice gave him.

"Take good care of Martha, young Master," the red wizard grinned.

"And you better take good care of my mother, uncle Barimus," Markl replied pertly, making the man laugh.

Barimus cast a yearning glance at the silent young herbalist, then turned and stepped into the air, shimmering as he became a great red bird.

"Ready, Sophie!" Calcifer crackled as Sophie herself leaped into the air, sprouting feathers the color of starlight as she spread her wings and rose up into the sky on her otherwind.

"Good luck, Sophie! Good luck, Barimus!" Markl called, his voice becoming lost in the wind.

xXx

The gale blew fiercer and colder as the silver witch and the red wizard found themselves in the middle of a blizzard. The moaning winds buffeted them, stinging their eyes and weighting their wings with ice. But they fought forward through the weather like magic arrows on the power of their otherwind. Sophie guided them without hesitance, the tiny red light filling the peaceful dark of her mind every time she closed her eyes.

All around them the great glacial peaks of northern Tyrn reared like the great teeth of some snowy beast. The dark skies overhead boiled with black clouds, giving no indication that they had any intention of breaking. The two fought onward.

They were forced to land shortly before dark, taking shelter in a small cave Barimus found with magic. The two of them huddled back to back in the bone seeping cold as Calcifer flickered in the lamp between them.

"Are you alright, Calcifer?" Sophie asked haltingly between her chattering teeth.

"No! But we're getting closer!" The little flame replied in a small voice.

They were cheered by the fact that a tiny red light shone in Sophie's magic ring, growing stronger as they strove further north. The next morning the witch and wizard emerged into a diamond studded world of perfect ice beneath a vast blue sky. A windless day received their open wings as the pair soared upwards on the spiraling power of their magic. They made good time as the red light in Sophie's mind grew brighter and stronger.

_There, ahead on the plateau!_

Barimus' soundless voice reached her as Sophie caught sight of regular patterns ill suited to nature's capricious mind. Out of the glacier a great palace was carved, its columns and ramparts showed sapphire blue beneath the cold light of the sun. Sophie's mind thrilled at the sight, but her heart fell short as a spidery tingle flew through her mind.

"Watch out!" Calcifer shouted just as the pair wheeled apart and a great black shape sliced between them.

The tendril of dark unfurled its leathery wings and screeched menacingly as it descended at Sophie. A great red blur hammered it from above as Barimus sank his claws into its back and tore at it viciously. Red fire burst from the wounds and the creature fell into ash. But more dark shades pulled themselves from the castle walls, furling their wings like bits of nightmares that had somehow found their way into the sun.

_Too many to fight_, Sophie sent her thoughts to the red wizard

_Fly fast, sister! _Barimus sent back jubilantly.

Sophie experienced a moment's irritation with the Royal Wizard; he was actually enjoying this!

"You both are nuts!" Calcifer wailed from the lamp Sophie held fast in her claws.

Together, the witch and wizard tucked their wings and made a dive for the front door of the ice fortress. Wheeling and weaving among the cloud of dark creatures, the two darted gracefully amongst the clumsy monsters.

_Too fast!_ Sophie cried to Barimus as the red bird took the lead.

_That's the idea_!

He sent back an image of the pair of them bursting through the great ice gates that reared up before them. The red wizard tucked his wings and burst like a phoenix into red flames. The ice melted before him like a hot knife through butter and the witch and wizard shot through. Whether out of fear or due to the gees of magic that bound them to guard the outer walls, the shades did not follow. But they lingered howling just beyond the sapphire walls.

Barimus snapped back his wings, red feathers melting from him as he gracefully stepped to the ground. Sophie touched down on one foot, holding Calcifer's lamp high as she shed her feathers. But the witch lost her balance and sat down hard, skidding to a halt on her rump like a lame pigeon.

"Remind me to teach you how to land when we get home," The red wizard grinned impishly deftly avoiding the handful of snow Sophie sent as a reply.

He helped the silver-haired witch to her feet and the two of them gazed forward into the frozen courtyard of the wizard Agyrus' fortress. Pale blue light diffused through the ice walls from the sun outside, giving everything an eerie inner glow. Great icicles hung from the ceiling above and Sophie could see her breath as they carefully climbed the stairs through the large front portal.

"Calcifer?" Sophie whispered softly.

"I don't smell anything, but be careful." The flame replied from within the lamp shade.

As the ice grew thicker, the light grew dim and Sophie was glad for the lantern. The magic ring on her finger glowed strongly now, its tiny finger of red pointing forward without trembling. Barimus was silent beside her, but she could see his glowing brown eyes in her othersight. The darkness in the vast chamber closed in around them, giving Sophie a queasy suffocating feeling. The air was stale and heavy, but a gentle draft guided them through the second portal. In the distance a shaft of light fell into the middle of the room.

The rays of the sun slanted in from above, filling half the room with blinding light and plunging the other into the darkest of shadows. High overhead the ice had thinned at the center of the roof, permitting tiny snowflakes to filter down from the plateau above. Sophie's breath came quickly now, sending plums of white into the air. The silver haired woman's witchy sense sent a thrill through her body.

"Howl!" She cried in exultation.

Her cry echoed like the voices of hundred of tiny birds through the chamber as she caught sight of a dim form against the fall wall. Barimus grabbed her shoulder and made a vehement shushing motion, his eyes fierce as he glanced about nervously.

A drift of snow fell from above, adding to the growing pile in the middle of the chamber, sending more echoing whispers through the room. The silver haired witch shrugged off Barimus' hand and rushed forward. Sophie crashed into something solid where light turned to dark, falling backwards onto the floor. Calcifer flitted from the lamp as it skittered across the floor, sending more fractured echoes through the room.

Barimus lifted her back onto her feet and placed a finger on her lips as he again willed her to be silent. Pointing overhead, he sent an image of the ceiling coming crashing down and that quelled the witch's irritation.

Sophie looked back in her husband's direction, putting out a hand and feeling the cool barrier beneath her palm. She pushed hesitantly but the invisible wall remained impassible. Placing her hands on the barrier, Sophie peered into the dark, trying desperately to see Howl. Calcifer, blue-green with fear, crackled larger above the silver witch's head, shedding light onto the impassive form.

The thin light from the fire daemon filtered over Howl and Sophie clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. The wizard hung from the wall by his shoulders, arms dangling limply. His head hung forward as well, face hidden in his bangs. The raven-haired man did not seem to be solid; his dim outline filled with the indigo blue of the otherworld as tiny pale lights glimmered within him like stars in the sky. His long legs faded into nothing where they should have touched the ground.

Looking up, Sophie's knees turned weak as the Dull Wall loomed out from behind Howl great and dark. Above her the scorched vermillion sky spilled over the walls apex like a wave, threatening to crush her and the mortal world beneath its fury. A dry wind blew through her soul, parching her throat and burning her hands where they pressed against the barrier. She threw herself backwards into the light and the icy cold returned.

Casting her eyes skyward there was only the ceiling above. Sophie's heart hammered in her chest and the white plums of her breath slowed after a moment. Barimus started forward but she held him back with a hand and winced. The red wizard's face showed his concern plainly and she showed him her blistered palms.

"He's here," Calcifer crackled softly, turning purple red with rage.

The pair gave a start as footsteps echoed in the darkness beyond the barrier, dislodging more ice from above. Foot prints showed in the light dusting of snow at the edge of the darkness as the Wall Maker's face materialized under the hood of his cloak of midnight sky. He stood before them like a living piece of ice, his cold blue eyes impassive. But Sophie could see the dim shape of his shadow reaching back into the Wall. It was the arm of the Darkness that had its fingers around the old sorcerer's soul.

"It was foolish of you to come here," the brass bell of his voice echoed deeply in the chamber.

"We have come for the wizard Howl!" Barimus spoke with vehemence.

"You are even more foolish to think that you can demand anything from me, traitorous Red Wizard."

The ice thickened beneath Agyrus' feet, spreading outward in snapping crackles as its frozen tendrils reached for the Sophie and Barimus. Calcifer flared up into a snarling ball of blazing flame and the ice retreated before the burning power of his heat.

"You're fire is naught before my ice, daemon!" Agyrus boomed as he cast out a hand and showered the companions with freezing rain.

Calcifer shrank back behind Sophie as Barimus threw up a shield of crimson light. The ice hammered on the barrier driving the red wizard to one knee under its weight before he threw it off with a fierce look of concentration. Sophie burst into steely light as she drew Suliman's staff from her pocket; the shaft grew to its full size beneath her hands. The silver witch slammed the butt onto the floor and the ground heaved up under tendrils of white light, pelting Agyrus with large frozen boulders. As the dust and frost cleared the wizard stood unscathed, although a careful look filled his eyes.

"Give me back my husband, Wall Maker!" Sophie shouted.

The old man regarded her for a long moment then spoke ominously.

"Suliman's staff will not help you prevail over me, child. Like her, your emotions make you weak. You should be glad that your husband has been granted such a worthy doom."

Sophie jerked her head to seek the dim form of her husband with her othersight. Indeed he seemed to be fading away; his body had vanished to his knees. As she was distracted, Agyrus sent forward another volley of ice and snow. Barimus threw forward the red barrier once more, but was driven back beneath the old sorcerer's power. Regaining her composure, Sophie added her magic to the barrier and they thrust off the ice once more.

"You would kill your own nephew to build your Wall!" Barimus yelled, rising up into the air on his otherwind to toss handfuls of fire at the unfeeling mage.

Agyrus turned after the red wizard. He deftly stepped around each of the missiles with inhuman speed, the cloak of sky around him causing him to melt in and out of solidity. Raising his palms from his waist, the Wall Maker conjured shades of ice that sprung up after Barimus.

Sophie knew that the blond man was drawing the old sorcerer's attention. She and Calcifer started once more for the barrier and the fire daemon burst into bright purple white flame on the edge of the light and dark. Under his fire Sophie was able to push her hands through the barrier.

But Agyrus felt the blockade breech and turned sharply to cast a wind of pure magic at the silver witch's exposed side. She barely had enough time to hold up Suliman's staff as she and Calcifer were thrown against the wall with tremendous force. The little fire daemon fizzled and was lost into the dark side of the chamber.

But Sophie did not fall for she was pinned between the light and dark as the barrier snapped back into place. With empty eyes, Agyrus brought out his hand once more to crush the trapped silver witch. In that moment Barimus let out a shout of desperation and brought the entire ceiling of ice crashing down onto the room. The snarling avalanche of ice sheets and snow floored the Wall Maker, also buring the red wizard and the silver witch in an inundation of white.

xXx

By the grace of the Gods, Sophie was not crushed by the ice.

The tall chamber was flooded with sun and wind from the plateau above as the silver haired witch burst from a bank of snow. Scrambling to extract herself from the frozen drift, the little woman trembled as she caught sight of Howl against the wall. She managed to drag herself through the snow with Suliman's staff, foundering to his dim black outline. His body had disappeared to his waist, which had no substance as it faded into snow.

"Howl!" She cried as she cupped her husband's chin in her hands, raising his eyes to her own. Her heart fluttered and she felt faint as she gazed into the complete darkness that filled his eyes. She let go of him and stumbled backward.

Howl was filled with the Dark!

Casting her eyes about in the glare from above, she tried to find any sign of the red wizard at the fire daemon.

"Calcifer! Barimus!" She called over the howling winds to no avail.

The drifts heaved from the center of the chamber as great chunks of ice flew back revealing the wizard Agyrus. The Wall Maker absently dragged a limp red form from the snow and cast the man aside. Turning his cold blue eyes toward Sophie, the silver witch could see the hate that twisted the old sorcerer's features. But this was not the wizard Agyrus who glowered at her. Light seemed to flee from the trailing edge of the sorcerer's cloak as the Dark crept into his form. This was no flimsy shade, like the bit of despair that had consumed Ambassador Varra. This was the great crimson wave that had loomed above the Dull Wall in her othersight.

_Found you!_ It shrieked with thousands of hissing molten voices that invaded the inner sanctum of her mind with burning lances.

_Now, this world is ours Ours OURS!_

Sophie fell back against the wall in horror and pain, casting a desperate glance at Howl. He had disappeared to the shoulders. With shaking hands she tore her handkerchief from her pocket and cast the last shard of the banishing mirror onto the snow. The Dark looked at the dark piece of glass and the monster within Agyrus twisted his features into a snarling mask. The surface of the shard cleared to reveal the scorched plain.

_NO! _It started forward to grasp the shard just as Sophie swung Suliman's stick and shattered it.

Time stood still.

The winds were replaced by a different kind as a great vortex opened up into the plains of twisting red lights of the otherworld beyond the Dull Wall. But Sophie did not have time to root herself in place with Suliman's staff. The shaft of wood slipped through her hands as she was dragged through the snow. Agyrus, Barimus, and Sophie were pulled into the otherworld.

xXx


	9. Chapter 9: Dawn

**Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga**

**Chapter 9: Dawn**

The ground beneath Sophie's hands was green and verdant, not the black scorched sands of the plains of suffering. She lifted her face into a gust of the otherwind and caught sight of great hills that rolled into the distance. They were studded with tiny white, blue, and green lights that brought a sense of peace to her heart. For a moment Sophie thought she was dead, but then Calcifer flicked in front of her, soundlessly mouthing words in agitation.

Suddenly she was seized by a hand of power and hurled into the air. She landed hard with a silent cry of pain and rolled onto her side, staring up into the looming shadow of the great Dull Wall. The great vermillion wave still rose up beyond its border as though it would crash at any moment. Not far off she could see Barimus' prone form, the red wizard's clothing fluttered in the otherwind. Calcifer again hovered frantically in her vision, shouting soundless warnings. This time Sophie rolled out of the way of the shadowed claw that reached for her.

Stumbling to her feet, the silver witch turned to face the Core of Darkness, which wore Agyrus' husk like a new garment.

She realized at once that it still could not yet go far beyond the Wall, which gave her hope that Howl was still alive. Beyond the Wall Breaker's fluctuating form, she caught the glint of the emerald jewels the raven-haired sorcerer wore. There, trapped in the long arm of the possessed wizard's shadow, Howl's form could be seen in the Dull Wall. Only his face and shoulders hung from the black bricks of the barrier, but unlike his form in the mortal world, here Howl was flesh and blood.

Sophie retreated from the slashing claws of the Darkness, dragging Barimus' out of range. Standing up into the whipping wind of the otherworld, the silver witch looked on the scene before her with anguish. Her magic was beyond her without Suliman's staff as a focus. Above she could still see the vortex to the ice fortress, held open by the forgotten stick.

Calcifer appeared at her shoulder, gyrating with cross-eyed frustration over his lack of voice. Sophie caught him in her hands and smiled at him. The fire daemon seemed to calm as Sophie communicated her words to him through other means.

_Please, Calcifer. I need your help._

_Too weak,_ was the flame's tremulous reply.

Sophie pointed to her eyes and then placed one of her hands over her heart. Calcifer made a face of absolute astonishment and crackled silently, telling her without words just how crazy she was.

_I'm only lending them to you, Calcifer. Is it a bargain? _

The little fire daemon fluttered as she gave him a kiss, and then the silver haired witch swallowed him whole.

Sophie doubled over in agony then her arms flew wide as she snapped back her head in a silent scream. A great white fire burst from her chest and eyes, lifting her into the air as it surrounded her form. The red wizard came to his senses then and scrambled back, shielding his eyes as the blinding nimbus of Sophie's raw magic. The silver sorceress hovered in the air, a pale and sightless outline within the great fire she had conjured.

Lifting her arms to either side, Sophie glided down the hillside towards the Darkness with a serene expression on her face. The shade within the wizard Agyrus faltered and shrank back before the blinding light that approached him.

_Be gone!_ Sophie disembodied voice rang like a silver bell on the otherwind.

_Never!_ The Core of Darkness thrummed triumphantly.

A great gaping maw split Wall Breaker in two and swallowed the silver sorceress. For a moment her light was completely smothered and Barimus looked on in horror. But suddenly the wizard Agyrus burst into white flames from the witch's radiance.

_No!_ It cried in surprise.

The Dark attempted to draw back, but the woman in the silver fire shot forward, overwhelming the darkness with the tremendous power of her love. She scourged every last wriggling tendril of the blackness from the soul of the wizard Agyrus. Sophie burst from the teetering old man, dragging the long arm of the shadow after her as she gained speed. Opening her arms wide, Sophie plunged through the Wall in the exact spot where Howl's face had just disappeared.

On the other side of the Dull Wall the silver witch broke free of the bricks, the slack form of the raven-haired wizard Howl slung over her shoulder. Behind her the black arm of shadow had transformed back into Howl's soul, which showed like a shimmering blue membrane. The silver fire around her began to dim as she lost speed, it flickered and extinguished. Sophie strained onward, hauling the great sapphire ribbon from the hungry bricks of the Dull Wall.

It finally snapped free and fled back into the wizard Howl, who tossed back his head and gasped in a great breath of air. His eyes flew wide and he returned to his senses just as Sophie collapsed into his arms. Casting his eyes about wildly, Howl's attention snapped back to the Dull Wall as the section that had tried to consume him crumbled into rubble. The ground trembled and the sorcerer cast his sapphire eyes over his shoulder at the burning wave of the Dark that rushed forward towards the breech.

Turning with his wife in his arms, Howl erupted into a crackling indigo corona, tinged violet with the weight of his power. Ominously, the ground beneath them vibrated as the magic of the green plains responded to the wizard's call. The indigo veil was pierced for a moment by the blinding light of his supernova, which cleaved the Dark in two. Soundlessly the wave rolled back on itself, turning a sickly grey as it faded into ash. Like a burning star the witch and wizard shot backwards through the breech in the wall. As they passed the bricks shuddered to life and filled in the hole as though it had never existed.

Howl dropped from the sky next to a shaken Barimus, who stared at the wall in shock. The raven-haired wizard gently kneeled with his wife in his arms. Placing his hand over her heart, the sorcerer's eyes flashed with inner fire as the otherwind sprang up around them. He carefully withdrew a giddy Calcifer from Sophie's chest. The little daemon did a weak loop-de-loop and shot upwards through the open portal in the sky. Sophie stirred and blinked through tearful eyes as she caught sight of her husband's smiling face. Wordlessly, she flew up into his embrace.

Howl gathered her to him, standing with grace. He cast his bright eyes in the direction Barimus was looking and caught sight of his uncle's body where it lay in the thick grass. The three of them watched it dissolve into a tiny point of white light. His magic had been consumed by the greedy bricks Dull Wall, but his soul went on into the vast tranquility beyond the indigo veil. There was sorrow with them in that moment, but also there was peace.

Together the companions turned their faces back to the mortal realm and disappeared through the portal in the sky.

xXx

They landed knee deep in snow, the light of the sun above blinding in comparison to the gentle dark of the otherworld.

Howl reached out and took a hold of Suliman's staff, where it stood plunged into the snow. He rapped its end against the ice and the portal to the otherworld closed. Sound came rushing back into the mortal world.

"I can BELIEVE you actually ate me!" Calcifer snapped and crackled at Sophie incredulously, flaring up red and orange.

"She ate you?" Barimus' face was astonished, but neither Sophie nor Howl were paying attention.

The raven haired wizard tenderly lowered the silver haired witch to her feet and had gently cupped her face in his hands. They drank of each other's eyes as though the whole world was a desert and they had finally found respite.

"I almost lost you," Sophie whispered, her tears freezing like tiny diamonds as she hugged her husband tightly, her eyes full of desperate love.

"I heard you calling. It gave me the strength I needed to wait for you," Howl murmured, brushing the ice from her cheeks as he leaned down to kiss his wife passionately.

Calcifer and Barimus both turned pink and looked away.

xXx

Sophie was fiddling with her wedding ring again, twisting the silver band around her finger again and again.

Staring outside the kitchen window, she watched the white flakes falling in the garden with an anxious look on her face. Lingering memories were perhaps the cause of her nervous mood. She knew it was silly, but she didn't like Howl and Markl being out in the weather. They were probably soaked to the bone. The freak storm had blanketed the entire wastes with a dusting of snow even though it was autumn.

It had been a month since the three of them had returned from the ice fortress. It had only been a week since wizard Barimus had announced his engagement to the herbalist Martha Hatter. The red and gold invitation sat in the middle of the kitchen table. Her heart was full of nothing but joy for the two of them.

The dark haired healer and the Royal Wizard had become inseparable since their return. Martha had stonily refused to leave Kingsbury much to the dismay of dear Mrs. Fairfax. But the sunny old herbalist admitted that Martha had long since learned all she had to teach, thus releasing her from her apprenticeship. But all was well. Granny Witch spent a great deal of time helping the plump woman; the two had become fast friends.

But that was not what was bothering Sophie. It was something that Calcifer had revealed to her in private shortly after they had returned. At that moment she was doing everything in her power to not think about it. Instead she was worrying a hole in the floor.

"Quit stressing, Sophie! It's going to be fine!" Calcifer crackled in annoyance from the hearth. The little flame peered at her with one eye as he watched the silver haired woman pace.

Sophie hadn't said anything because she wanted to be sure. But the flame made it clear that since she had deigned to swallow him, he had a lot more insight into what was going on in her body than she herself did. The thought had terrified her at first and she hadn't wanted to believe Calcifer.

She was worried about what Howl would say. It wasn't something they had ever talked about. And then there was Markl. Would he feel betrayed and unwanted? The thought of hurting the little boy mortified her. But there was no doubt in her mind anymore. Sophie was very sure; her witchy sense told he with certainty.

"You haven't told him yet, have you?" The fire daemon surmised dryly as he watched the silver haired witch make another circuit around the kitchen.

"Tell me what?" Howl came rushing in from the garden chased by a breath of icy air. Sophie and Calcifer both jumped as the lanky wizard practically ran over to fire, hopping in place as he tried to warm himself. The little flame retreated into the ashes as Howl tossed another log onto the fire.

"Where's Markl?" Sophie asked evasively.

She stood on the tips of her toes to wrap a blanket around her husband's shoulders. The wizard dressed for vanity and not practical reasons, like warmth. The silver haired witch made a moue as she wondered at the fact that he wasn't an icicle.

"Outside playing in the snow with Heen. What were you going to tell me?" The raven-haired wizard asked cheerfully.

His eyes flashing mirthfully as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He was about to enfold her in the blanket with him when she retreated once more to the table, a hesitant look on her face. Howl frowned in confusion as he kneeled on the couch and looked at her questioningly.

"Howl… What would you say if I told you that you we are going to have to take on another apprentice," Sophie blurted out after an awkward moment of silence.

"Is that all? Has Barimus been bullying you again? Honestly, he and Martha are going to tear the kingdom apart…"

Her husband replied quickly in his carefree way as he jumped to the wrong conclusion, but Sophie cut him off before he could continue.

"No, Howl. That's not what I mean," Sophie replied, her voice tenuous with implied meaning as she placed both of her hands on her stomach. She stared hard at her husband, trying to make her meaning plain.

Howl stared at her, the smile fading from his face as it was replaced by a wide eyed look of utter shock. It slowly dawned on him what she was talking about. For a second Sophie thought her heart would break when he stared wordlessly at her. But the wizard let out an elated whoop and shot forward over the couch, scattering furniture as he swept her up into his arms and kissed her soundly.

"Sophie! You're! I mean, we're! I mean! Dear, Sophie, how wonderful!" The jubilant words came tumbling out of him as he spun her around in his arms. Setting her back on her feet, Howl kneeled to gently hug her around her waist, resting his head on her stomach.

"Yes!" Sophie laughed breathlessly, "Markl will have a brother and you will have another son!"

She reached down and cupped her husband's face in her hands, bending to kiss him with all her heart and soul. Calcifer peeked an eye at the pair, burning a rosy pink. Perhaps the family had finally found their happily ever after.

**To be continued in _Children of the Stars: Part _****_II_****_ of the Wallmaker Saga_**


End file.
